Just Another Story
by white-angelxhunter
Summary: rukawa and fujima's parents are getting married, saemi is still torn between them both, rukawa gets drunk and gets into a fistfight, trouble abrews as the story nears its end! Rukawa x OC x Fujima
1. One

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This is my first SD fic, and I've only watched a few episodes of SD, so gomenasai!!! I'm just itching to create a RukawaxOC thing… well, here goes nothing!!!  
  
Oh yeah, I twisted some stuff in the anime so I hope u don't mind (too much) (  
  
Disclaimer: SD ain't mine, as well as any other anime ever invented…  
  
One  
  
Sendoh peered inside his younger sister's door, which was slightly ajar. The first day of school, and the still figure on the queen-sized bed was busy snoring.  
  
As usual.  
  
'I give up.' Sendoh thought, entering Saemi's room. It was colder than an igloo on the South Pole.  
  
'She's always like this…'  
  
Sighing, he shook the sleeping figure vigorously until she opened his eyes.  
  
"Nandate…" She murmured, squinting at him. "Oh, it's you."  
  
She rolled over and went to sleep, as if he didn't exist.  
  
"Wake up, Saemi, it's time for school." He said, shivering involuntarily. "Aren't you cold?" He added.  
  
"No…"  
  
He rubbed his hands to make himself warmer. He half expected to see snow bursting out of the air conditioner accompanied by some penguins, but he knew that was impossible. He shook his head disbelievingly at his sister, then switched the air con off. What kind of skin does she have, anyway?  
  
"Saemi, it's your first day at Shohoku High. You can't be late."  
  
"Five minutes…" She mumbled, covering her face with her pillow.  
  
"You don't have five minutes anymore." Sendoh reminded her, gathering the books and notebooks she had laid out on her table and placing them in her purple backpack. Her flaming red hair was barely visible beneath the comforter.  
  
"Saemi."  
  
No answer.  
  
"Okay, I'll take you to that stupid carnival with your friends this Saturday."  
  
Bingo.  
  
"All right! I'll bring my new friends, too. Okay, Oniichan?"  
  
Sendoh imagined himself at the carnival, surrounded by Saemi's giggly friends who whispered whenever a cute boy past by or whenever he had to talk to them because Saemi was lost. He imagined himself waiting outside like some stupid idiot for half an hour outside the girl's bathroom as they "freshened up a bit." And knowing Saemi, his wallet was gonna be deflated big time.  
  
He was gonna tell Saemi 'no' but after seeing her excited emerald eyes, it was impossible.  
  
"Fine, fine. But that means I can bring my friends, too." He was always too soft whenever she was concerned.  
  
"Yes!" Saemi cried, tackling him onto the floor with a big bear hug.  
  
"The hair! The hair!" Sendoh panicked, touching his spiky hair protectively.  
  
She let go, then entered the bathroom to change into her uniform.  
  
Sendoh groaned. "If those new friends come even close to her old ones, I'm gonna die early!"  
  
  
  
Rukawa Kaede locked his infamous bicycle onto the bike rack before he went inside his new school. He barely glanced at it as he trudged wearily up the steps. Somehow, he had managed to get to school safe and sound, owing generously to the cars and passers-by who got out of his way before it was too late. He shook his head and tried to stay awake. His efforts were in vain.  
  
He entered his classroom groggily, past the girls who were whispering and staring at him, then slumped into the nearest empty chair. For once, he wasn't late for a first day. The teacher arrived shortly afterwards.  
  
"Ohayou. My name is—"  
  
Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a tall red head with a purple backpack. She was panting heavily.  
  
Several boys' heads turned, even the ones with girlfriends. Someone even whistled. Rukawa just glanced at her, then went back to sleep.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm late." The girl said, sitting beside Rukawa.  
  
He didn't stir. Not until he smelled her perfume. 'She smells like Saemi.' He thought. 'And she sounds like Saemi. She looks like Saemi, too.' He frowned. Not only that, but she was late like Saemi, too.  
  
He lifted his head sideways, and was surprised to see that she was Saemi. His former junior high school classmate and lifelong crush. Sendoh Saemi. But of course, he didn't want to admit that.  
  
'You're still sleepy, Rukawa.' He told himself. 'You're imagining all sorts of things.'  
  
Saemi stared at Rukawa, who was now asleep and drooling. 'Yuck, what kind of a guy is he? He reminds me of that basketball player in junior high…always asleep and drooling.'  
  
She peered at him more closely. "Ne, ne, do I know you?" She whispered, so the teacher wouldn't hear.  
  
"Ne." She whispered again, tapping him on the shoulder. Luckily, Rukawa wasn't in a bad mood.  
  
"What?!" He hissed, scowling.  
  
"OH! It's you!" Saemi said, staring at him in awe. "It really IS you!"  
  
Rukawa's heart skipped a beat. Maybe she liked him, too? He wondered whether she of all people would confess to liking him (why? Find out later) when she smiled and said,  
  
"Nukawa, wasn't it?"  
  
"RU-kawa." He said, annoyed. What kind of girl didn't remember his name anyway?  
  
"Oh, sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "Hello, Rukawa. You may continue with your important business now."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to sleep. But he couldn't.  
  
'RUKAWA!' He thought to himself. 'Stop THIKING about HER!'  
  
  
  
Saemi frowned as she entered the Sendoh residence after school. It was deserted. "That's odd." She said aloud. "Oniichan should be home by now."  
  
A loud burst of cheers erupted from the back of the house, presumably the basketball court behind it. Clearly, Sendoh had invited "a few friends over" for a "friendly match."  
  
She shrugged at the thought, then proceeded to the refrigerator to get some snacks for herself. Her laid out "snacks" on the living room table could feed the whole Shohoku team (including Sakuragi) for a day. Her books and notebooks followed suit, and pretty soon Saemi was studying in front of her favorite show in full volume.  
  
She was halfway through the first assignment when the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" She thought.  
  
"IT'S OPEN!" She yelled, as loud as she could.  
  
She heard the door open and close, then she lowered the volume of the TV. Her mom hated it when she made so much noise.  
  
"Saemi-chan."  
  
"Ah, Maki-kun."  
  
The Kainan player nodded in greeting, then pointed to his uniform. "I was bored, and your house was closest. Where's Mr. Smiley?"  
  
"Court." She said, stretching. Maki stared at the food wrappers and candy bars on the table. "Wow. That's even more than the last time I came here." He said.  
  
"That was yesterday. School makes me hungry, can't help it." Saemi replied, shrugging.  
  
"How are you and Fujima doing?" Maki asked innocently.  
  
"I'm fine, dunno about him."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Maki, I told you I don't have time for that."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Quit it."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Saemi raised an eyebrow at him. "Go on. Play basketball and leave me alone. Shoo, shoo."  
  
"Not until you promise to go out with Fujima if he asks you."  
  
"Maki!"  
  
"C'mon, have pity for the guy."  
  
"Fine. Now stop bothering me."  
  
"Okay! I'll go tell Sendoh and you'll have to be my slave for a week if you don't keep your promise."  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"Says me. I'm sure you'd want to go to that festival my little cousins are dragging me to this Saturday."  
  
Saemi paled.  
  
"Well, I'll go shoo, like you said. Ja ne."  
  
"I swear I'll get you for this!" Saemi fumed, returning to her homework. "Can't you baka people see that I can't fall in love? It's not in my genes."  
  
'Me, fall in love?' She thought. 'Impossible.'  
  
How is it? Does it suck? Aw, you're making me feel bad! ::Sniff.:: 


	2. Two

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: Thanks for the review, frozen fire! At least I got one, hehe… so I'm dedicating this chapter to you!!! Sorry if it bores you to death but anyway, its turning out to be a great time killer for me.   
  
Our school is about to start and it sucks but anyway, I hope to finish this fic (if I do it'll be a first)  
  
Disclaimer: Well as long as the word's there it should be ok  
  
Two  
  
Rukawa glanced at the doorway for the nth time that morning. She wasn't there yet, and if she didn't arrive soon, she was gonna be late. Again.  
  
'Well, when wasn't she late anyway?' He thought. 'All she cares about is food, TV and grades.'  
  
That was how he remembered her. That, and her smashing good looks, lovable personality, and those weird fluttery feelings he always had around her. True, she might've felt the same way about him before, but now… she'd changed. A lot.  
  
She was his sort of best friend, because they were the kind of best friends who didn't admit they were best friends, they just were. Like, they weren't together all the time but they'd seen each other's bad times and sad times, and that made them share a certain bond of friendship.  
  
He remembered that she was the one who made him see the important things in life, and that she hadn't cared how cold he was before. She was nice to everybody and treated every person equally, no matter how different they were. That was the trait he liked so much about her. She didn't care about other people's opinions, she made sure that every individual was special in her eyes.  
  
The only thing about her he didn't like was that she was too hard on herself. She was obsessive when it came to grades and she didn't engage in activities that she thinks would distract her from her goals.  
  
Anyway.  
  
He had spent the whole summer getting over her and finally succeeded by focusing himself on basketball. He didn't realize that he was just copying her style of forgetting about everything else around her. And he didn't know that his feelings would resurface if he sees her again.  
  
'This is getting complicated.' He thought, as Saemi finally entered the room seconds after the teacher greeted them.  
  
"Ms. Sendoh, you have been late for the 3rd time this week." Their teacher grumbled.  
  
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" She answered, flustered.  
  
"Enough excuses. Sit down in front of Rukawa."  
  
"Okay." She muttered, sitting in front of him.  
  
Rukawa coughed. Saemi turned to face him.  
  
"Are you OK?" She whispered.  
  
Oh yeah, she was also planning to become a doctor.  
  
"Fine." He managed to say. She smiled and then turned to face the blackboard.  
  
He couldn't get his mind off her, so he slept on the table.  
  
*  
  
Rukawa awoke with someone prodding him on the back. He punched at the offender and was surprised that his punch was blocked.  
  
"Ow! I see you haven't changed."  
  
Female. Saemi.  
  
Saemi?!  
  
"Class is over." She continued, gathering her stuff and turning to leave. Rukawa followed suit, then frowned as she hurried towards the school clinic.  
  
Did he punch that hard? What if she was bleeding or something? What if he had broken a bone or two?  
  
'That's easy.' He thought. 'Sendoh would absolutely KILL you.'  
  
He shook his head, then turned towards the opposite direction. He'd deal with that later. For now, he needed time to think.  
  
*  
  
Saemi rubbed her aching hand gingerly. It was slightly reddish. It was the first time a boy punched her before, and it hurt. She walked towards the school clinic on the opposite side of the classroom.  
  
A middle aged woman greeted her as she entered the room. It was kind of small and smelled slightly of medicine.  
  
"Sendoh Saemi, I presume?" The woman said, smiling at her.  
  
"H...Hai."  
  
"You were assigned to the men's basketball team. Here are the papers."  
  
She handed her a folder and a pen, then Saemi started filling them up. She finished 15 minutes later, then the woman gave her the club's practice schedules.  
  
"Oh yeah, let me show you how to use this kind of bandage." The woman said, grabbing her left hand. Saemi had no choice but to let her bandage it.  
  
'As if I don't know how to use that.' She thought, as she wrapped the white bandage around her hand.  
  
"Now. Well, you're allowed to skip one period because I took up your time. But remember, only one period, ok?"  
  
"Okay." She said, looking at the club schedule. 'So practice starts tomorrow... sure thing.'  
  
She exited the clinic, then went to the cafeteria just as the bell rang, signalling the start of afternoon classes.  
  
'Glad I'm skipping Science.' She thought. It was her least favorite subject.  
  
'This is turning out to be a great day.'  
  
*  
  
Rukawa's mouth nearly fell open when Saemi entered the classroom with a bandaged hand. A bandaged hand?! He was a dead man if Sendoh finds out HE was responsible for his sister's injury.  
  
'It must be serious since she stayed in the clinic for lunch AND Science.' He thought. 'And she's not copying notes like she usually does.'  
  
Saemi was staring at an imaginary spot on the blackboard. She had a blank look on her face. Rukawa presumed that she was thinking of something important. She started twirling her red locks absently.  
  
'I wonder what she's thinking about...'  
  
Suddenly a man blocked his view of Saemi. He looked up irritatingly at whoever he was.  
  
"Rukawa. You're awake." It was the teacher. Tears of joy were welling up in his eyes.  
  
"Doaho." Rukawa muttered, looking away from the teacher.  
  
"Kaede, I'm so honored to have you awake in my class." He choked, and pretty soon he was sobbing like a baby. The whole class was staring at him, except for Saemi, who was still looking at the board.  
  
Rukawa glared and everyone looked away. The bell rang at that moment, signalling the end of class.  
  
He turned back to look at Saemi, but she was already out the door. He realized that he had been trying to look at her since the beginning of Math and shook his head.  
  
'Get a grip on yourself, Rukawa.' He thought, irritated.  
  
*  
  
Sendoh plopped down on the couch next to Saemi after his afternoon basketball session. Then, he changed his mind and lied on her lap instead, with his feet propped up on one of the couch arms.  
  
"Yuck! You stink, Akira."  
  
"That's Oniichan to you, sis."  
  
"Get off me!" She said, trying to lift his head from her lap. Sendoh placed a pillow behind his head and looked up at her as if to say, That okay now?  
  
She sighed, giving up. She reached for the remote when Sendoh caught her wrist.  
  
"What happened to your hand?"  
  
They both stared at it for a few moments. Finally, Saemi said,  
  
"Nothing. Bandage tips from the nurse."  
  
Sendoh carefully removed the bandages while Saemi kept her eyes glued to the TV. He raised an eyebrow at the bruise forming on her palm.  
  
"Did she smack you first to make it more realistic?"  
  
"Oh, uh, no. Kae-My classmate accidentally punched me and I blocked it."  
  
"RUKAWA punched you?"  
  
"Well, it was an accident. Don't get mad."  
  
"What do you MEAN don't get mad? My sister comes home mortally wounded--"  
  
"Mortally wounded? C'mon, stop exaggerating."  
  
"You're always taking his side."  
  
"I am not. And you don't know him anyway, you just know his name and that we know each other."  
  
Sendoh pretended to think. "You said it was an accident, right? What if I accidentally strangle him tomorrow?"  
  
"There's no classes tomorrow."  
  
"Alright, I'll let him slide this time." He shot Saemi a murderous look. She burst out laughing.  
  
"What?" Sendoh asked, self consciously.  
  
His sister kept on laughing. Finally, Sendoh got really irritated and whacked her with a pillow.  
  
"Hey!" She protested, striking back. Sendoh jumped behind the couch as Saemi started chasing him.  
  
"Come back here!"  
  
*  
  
Rukawa lay on his bed, staring at Saemi's junior high pictures. It was easy getting them, she was always getting featured in one magazine or another, so he never run out. Which was a good thing.  
  
He sighed as memories kept flooding back. Much as he didn't want to remember all the past things that had happened between them, they kept on coming back to him.  
  
"I don't like her anymore." He muttered aloud. "I don't like her now."  
  
Unfortunately, whatever he did was ineffective. She was always with him, part of him. So he had no choice but to reminisce anyway.  
  
~*~Flashback~*~  
  
"As you all know, the end-of-year junior high school prom is coming up fast." The principal said, looking at the eager faces in front of him. There were murmurs of approval from parts of the crowd and some of the boys and girls were stealing glances at their respective crushes.  
  
The principal cleared his throat and said, "I know you're all excited, but I feel obligated to say this to some people here."  
  
He looked meaningfully at Rukawa and Saemi who were sitting together. (Alphabetical arrangements of chairs, that's why I made her Sendoh's sis)  
  
"The junior high school prom is coming whether youl ike it or not."  
  
Saemi rolled her eyes. Rukawa muttered his infamous "Doaho."  
  
"And this way's year of choosing partners is..."  
  
~*~Flashback~*~  
  
Drawing lots. And Saemi and Rukawa ended up together.  
  
He remembered her sigh of relief when they got the same number. "At least I know you." She had said. Rukawa, on the other hand, had been much happier than that. He felt excited at the idea that HE was going to be Saemi's prom date. But of course, he didn't show any of these emotions.  
  
He had waited until he was home before he started grinning like an idiot.  
  
And then he remembered them going inside the venue together, Saemi's hand on his arm.  
  
~*~Flashback~*~  
  
"I hope you like my dress, gown, whatever, cause it's so uncomfortable."  
  
Rukawa looked sideways at her. She was wearing a black backless evening gown and she looked beautiful.  
  
"You look nice." He had said, turning away so she wouldn't see him blushing, just in case.  
  
Saemi had grinned. "Thanks."  
  
They entered the ballroom and were surprised to see people smoking and drinking.  
  
"Where are the chaperones? There are supposed to be chaperones, right?" Saemi whispered, moving closer to Rukawa. He had shrugged and sticked to her the whole night since some drunken guys were eyeing her maliciously.  
  
"Relax. I'm here." He told her when he felt her tensing up. She smiled gratefully at him.  
  
They were dancing to a slow song when the trouble started.  
  
"Hey, you've been hogging her all night." A drunken guy said, trying to cut in. He was taller than Rukawa. He tried to grab Saemi away, but Rukawa punched him first.  
  
"Ouch." Saemi winced.  
  
The guy fell back.  
  
He punched Rukawa in the stomach, and he momentarily doubled over in pain before he lunged at the drunk guy.  
  
They had started a fight when Maki broke them up.  
  
"My house is nearest. Bring him there and I'll tell Sendoh to pick you up." He had said to Saemi, ushering them out. The prom was a disaster, and Rukawa had bean beaten up badly.  
  
"Sorry." She whispered as she cleaned his wounds. "Thank you, Kae-chan."  
  
He sort of nodded and was surprised as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.  
  
"To make you feel better." She said, smiling. Maki entered and shook his head. "Do you know that high school guys were there? Someone's older brother brought a few friends and they had the hots for you. Thank God your date protected you, or Sendoh would've killed me."  
  
He shook his head again and turned to call her brother up. Rukawa stared at him.  
  
"He's one of my older brother's close friends, and they have this alliance to protect me or something." She told him, smiling. "Can you go home okay?"  
  
He sort of nodded again, then pulled her closer to him in a hug. She hugged him back.  
  
"Take care." He said as he stood up to leave.  
  
"See you." She said, waving at him.  
  
He nodded once, then set off for his house.  
  
~*~Flashback~*~  
  
He remembered that he had been so close to telling her how he really felt. But he didn't. He couldn't.  
  
'This is getting complicated.' He thought, shaking his head.  
  
*  
  
Well, is it ok? I hope it is. Till the next chappie! Byee! 


	3. Three

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chapter is still dedicated to frozen fire (who changed her name) and rurouni! (did I spell that right?) He he... Well, if you want to suggest anything like if you want a certain "incident" to happen, you can tell me... it'll help a lot and the story can satisfy everybody!!! Am I weird or what? ::smile::  
  
Disclaimer: The usual.  
  
Three  
  
Saemi yawned, then stretched. Tomorrow, Sendoh was going to the carnival with her. She couldn't wait.  
  
She stood outside Haruko's, her new-found friend's, classroom as soon as classes ended. They usually waited for each other so they could walk to the gym together. Haruko, to watch, and Saemi, to do her medic job.  
  
"Haruko-san!" She called, as the students started exiting the classroom. "Over here!"  
  
The brunette turned towards her. "Saemi-kun." She said, smiling. Fujii and that other girl Haruko was always with followed.  
  
"Hey, you guys! So, did your folks allow you to go to the carnival?"  
  
"Uh huh. I can't wait."  
  
"Neither can I."  
  
The girls giggled as they walked towards the gym together. Rukawa bumped Haruko on the way.  
  
"Gomen." He said without looking at her. Haruko turned red.  
  
Saemi looked at her, surprised. "Oh! You like him?"  
  
"What do you mean, Oh, you like him? Haruko adores him!" Fujii said, shaking her head.  
  
"Fujii-san!" Haruko said, blushing even more.  
  
"It's true." She answered, rolling her eyes. Saemi smiled.  
  
"Why don't we invite him to the carnival?" She suggested, opening the door for them all.  
  
"No way!" Haruko exclaimed, shaking her head. "Don't even think about it."  
  
"C'mon. It'll be fun."  
  
"Don't. Or else I'd..."  
  
"Saemi, get over here!" Akagi yelled, glaring at her.  
  
"Hai!" She answered. "Well, gotta go." She ran towards Haruko's brother and Ayako.  
  
"Hello." She greeted the manageress. Rukawa was standing nearby, too.  
  
'Hmmm, he is cute now...' She thought, glancing at him briefly. Akagi called the players in a huddle.  
  
"Alright. We have a game against Ryonan High in one week." He said, glaring at the club members  
  
around him. "You should be in top shape. Or else."  
  
'Ryonan? They're fighting against Oniichan's school." Saemi thought.  
  
Sakuragi laughed and did his 'Tensai Speech.' Haruko waved at him, causing his oversized head to  
  
swell even more.  
  
Rukawa hit him with a basketball and called him a doaho.  
  
The players started a practice game themselves, with Sakuragi on the side doing drills. He was  
  
muttering nonstop about injustice and unfairness and stopped only when Ayako hit him with her  
  
paper fan.  
  
Since there was no homework to be done, and that was what she usually did during basketball  
  
practice, Saemi decided to watch the game instead.  
  
'Rukawa is good,' She thought as his fans came and cheered for him. She watched as  
  
he dunked yet another ball.  
  
'Oniichan's better... I don't know much about basketball but I think my brother's better.'  
  
He stole the ball from Kogure and started running towards the opposite court, scoring with a lay  
  
up shot.  
  
'Yeah... I don't think he's as fast as Oniichan. Kae-chan's a little slow...'  
  
Rukawa jumped to grab a rebound, then passed it to a teammate before Akagi got it from him.  
  
'Hmmm... I think he needs to play with better players if he wants to improve...'  
  
Saemi shrugged at herself, then watched Akagi dunk a ball.  
  
'What do I know about basketball anyway?' She thought, smiling to herself. The game ended  
  
with Rukawa's team victorious. His fans screamed loudly.  
  
"Grr... Why do those girls like that Kitsune anyway?!" Sakuragi grumbled. The girls only  
  
cheered louder.  
  
Saemi glanced at the clock. In that one game, practice had ended. 'That was fast.' She  
  
thought to herself as she gathered her stuff to leave. She said goodbye to her friends,  
  
then started walking towards her house. Maki was sitting on the front steps when she  
  
arrived.  
  
"Hi." She said, opening the door. Maki didn't reply.  
  
"Something wrong?" She asked.  
  
He didn't answer so she started walking inside. Finally, he said,  
  
"Where's Sendoh?"  
  
"Sendoh? He's... probably at the basketball court or something."  
  
"We had a fight."  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"He made a pass at a girl I liked."  
  
"And?"  
  
"She...likes him. But he doesn't like her."  
  
Saemi could've said, "So what's new?" but she didn't because Maki looked so down. She  
  
gestured inside instead and said, "Wanna talk about it?"  
  
He followed her inside and sat on the couch as she grabbed a few snacks.  
  
"I told him that he couldn't hurt her feelings, but he did anyway, so I got mad."  
  
Saemi handed him a bottle of Gatorade. "I'll talk to him. And I'll probably end up  
  
fighting with him, too."  
  
"Then don't. I don't want you to fight because of me." Maki said, sighing.  
  
"It's ok. He and I always make up. And I don't want to waste your friendship, either."  
  
He sighed. "Okay. It's like this...that girl? I've had a crush on her for ages."  
  
Saemi didn't say anything.  
  
"I introduced her to Sendoh." He continued. "And that was a big mistake."  
  
He paused, then cocked her head at her. "You know what happens next. Sendoh does his thing  
  
and the next thing I knew she was in love with him. So I kind of got irritated since he was only playing  
  
with her anyway. I asked him to ask her out."  
  
"What happened next?" Saemi asked, offering him a sandwich. He shook his head.  
  
"Well, she was desperately in love with him but Sendoh hurt her. He said he wasn't interested  
  
in her and she came running to me. Then I got mad and I fought with Sendoh."  
  
"In a fist fight?" Saemi asked, eyes wide.  
  
Maki shrugged. "Well, yeah. That was yesterday. But since neither of us got hurt, we ended up  
  
yelling instead. I told him he purposely flirted with her, but he denied it. Then I told him to say  
  
sorry but he said he had much better things to do with his time."  
  
"He did that?" Saemi stared at him. She couldn't believe it! Her brother was such an immature  
  
jerk. She felt a surge of anger welling up inside her. If there was one thing she hated, it was  
  
taking advantage of people's feelings. Especially if her brother was the one who committed the  
  
'crime.'  
  
"Yeah. So we both let our pride get in the way and I don't know if we'll make up."  
  
"Hmm... sounds serious." Saemi commented.  
  
Maki sighed. "It's not the first time we fought over a girl. You know that."  
  
"And you know I'm always on your side if that's the case. Right?"  
  
"Thanks. Well, I don't think we'll be seeing each other in a long time."  
  
"Uh huh. Leave it to me."  
  
"Thanks." Maki nodded at her once and left.  
  
'Not again.' Saemi thought, groaning. 'Why do they always have to fight?'  
  
*  
  
Rukawa climbed up the steps to his room slowly. He could've sworn Saemi had been observing  
  
him today. Or maybe he was imagining things again.  
  
'What the hell.' He thought, collapsing on his bed. The practice game had made him sleepy, and  
  
that was what he was gonna do. The door opened and the maid entered, carrying snacks.  
  
He shook his head to indicate that he didn't want any and she gave him a letter from his father.  
  
Then, she left the room.  
  
'Kaede, please go to the carnival tomorrow. My client's daughter would love to meet you.' It said.  
  
'OR ELSE I WOULD BAN YOU FROM BASKETBALL.'  
  
There was a picture of a little girl in a pink dress holding a teddy bear in the envelope, too.  
  
'Vivienne.' Was the name at the back of the picture, so she was probably an American. Her hair  
  
was black, though.  
  
'Guess I don't have a choice.' Rukawa thought glumly. Whoever wanted to go to a stupid carnival  
  
anyway? He had better things to do. Like play basketball, for instance.  
  
He sat up on his bed and pulled his backpack closer to him. He unzipped it and started laying  
  
out his homework before him. Science, English, Math and History. Ugh.  
  
He did the easiest one first, which was English. They were studying about verbs and he needed  
  
to answer pages 15-18 of the book. Simple enough. He finished it in no time and proceeded to  
  
his History homework.  
  
Memorization. It was about the history of America, so he didn't have to worry about that. He knew  
  
all about it anyway. He moved on to his Science homework.  
  
It took him a long time to finish the written report, and by the time he did, he was aching for some  
  
basketball. He decided to do his Math later and grabbed the ball under his bed.  
  
'I hope the court's empty.' He thought to himself as he got a towel and a bag from his closet.  
  
He ran down the stairs for warm up and brought a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator with  
  
him, too. Then, he hopped on his bike and listened to his discman along the way.  
  
When he got there, a guy who kind of looked American and had blondish hair was shooting some  
  
hoops. Another guy with brown hair was talking to him animatedly.  
  
Rukawa cursed and then started walking towards his bike when he heard the brown haired guy  
  
say Saemi's name. He leaned on the fence behind some tall bushes to listen if he heard right.  
  
"Like I was saying. Saemi can fall in love. She just doesn't want to."  
  
"And the point is?"  
  
"Make her fall in love with you."  
  
"I can't. I tried but I can't... She doesn't like me that way."  
  
"Well, I want to find someone for her."  
  
"Sendoh does, too."  
  
"Please, we just fought."  
  
"Oh yeah, sorry."  
  
The blonde guy dribbled the ball between his legs and shot a three pointer.  
  
"I just talked to her a while ago. She made me feel a whole lot better."  
  
"I envy you. You get to talk to her anytime you like."  
  
"We're friends, that's why. You're her friend, too. Aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, but I spoiled that friendship when I told her I liked her."  
  
The brown haired guy didn't say anything, so the blonde continued,  
  
"The thing is, you have to make her fall in love with you first before you tell her you like her."  
  
"How?"  
  
The blonde one thought about it for awhile. "I dunno... first you get close, then, uh...if you recognize the  
  
symptoms, tell her while you have the momentum."  
  
"I don't get it."  
  
"It's what I should've done. If I had waited for her to see me in a more-than-a-friend way, I could've...  
  
We could've..." He sighed sadly.  
  
"Man, you think too much. C'mon, let's go home."  
  
"You go ahead. I think I'll shoot some more hoops."  
  
The brown haired guy collected his things and started to leave. Rukawa hopped on his bike and pedaled home as fast as he could.  
  
If what he heard was right, maybe... maybe...  
  
'Stop it, Rukawa. You have no time for this insanity.' He scolded himself.  
  
*  
  
"Saemi! Over here!" Haruko and the others were waving. They had decided to meet up outside the entrance to the carnival. Saemi ran up to them eagerly.  
  
"Hi!" She said, waving energetically.  
  
"I thought your brother was coming." Fujii said.  
  
Saemi frowned. "Oh, uh, he said he had a group project or something."  
  
Her brother had practically dashed out of the house that morning and said he'd make up for his missing  
  
the carnival some time.  
  
"I see." Fujii smiled, and the girls went inside happily.  
  
They spent the morning playing games, then, they rode some of the rides. They were lining up for the  
  
carousel when Saemi bumped into a tall boy with black hair.  
  
"K...Kae-chan?"  
  
His eyes went wide (or at least, they opened a bit more) and he stared at her as if she were an alien from outer space.  
  
"Saemi-kun. Gomen."  
  
Haruko was blushing furiously. Saemi smiled at Rukawa. "Hi."  
  
He nodded, then a little girl with long black hair appeared behind him. She looked up at the girls and squealed when she saw Saemi.  
  
"Oneesan! You're here!"  
  
The red head smiled at her happily. "Hello, Vivienne. Are you having fun with Kaede Oniichan?"  
  
The little girl pouted and took Saemi's hand. "No. He doesn't talk to me and he's so big. He's so scary."  
  
Saemi leaned down so their faces were level. "And his hands are so big, too. They look like flying saucers."She whispered.  
  
Saemi laughed. "That's because he's a basketball player. Right, Kae- chan?"  
  
"Ah." He muttered.  
  
Haruko looked as if she was gonna faint. Fujii was holding her hand as they got on the carousel.  
  
After riding it, Vivienne didn't let go of Saemi's hand. "I want to go with you." She said stubbornly. Rukawa wasn't saying anything.  
  
"It's okay. The more, the merrier. Right, Haruko?" Her other friend said, nudging the love struck girl.  
  
"Huh? Oh, right... Rukawa-kun..." She looked dazed and she was redder than a tomato.  
  
They rode the ferris wheel next, and because it was Rukawa who bought Vivienne in the first place, he shared a car with her and Saemi.  
  
He was pretending to stare at something behind Saemi but it was obvious he was looking at her.  
  
She and Vivienne were talking and laughing together, and they weren't even thinking about him.  
  
"So how did you and Kae-chan meet?" She asked the little girl.  
  
"His daddy and my daddy are friends." She answered proudly, smiling. Rukawa resisted the urge to throw the kid overboard so he could be alone with Saemi.  
  
"I see." Saemi said, smiling. "Kae-chan and I are classmates, so we're friends, too."  
  
"Oh! But Oneesan, I though Kenji-niichan was your boy friend?"  
  
Rukawa felt his body tense. Who was this 'Kenji' anyway?  
  
Saemi laughed. "Don't believe Maki-niichan and Akira-niichan. They're just making fun of me."  
  
"So Kaede-niichan is your boy friend now?"  
  
She laughed again. "No. We're just friends."  
  
"What's the difference?" Vivienne asked, frowning.  
  
"You'll understand when you grow up." Saemi said. "C'mon, let's ride the Swans next."  
  
*  
  
"I'll bring her home if you like, Kae-chan. I know where she lives."  
  
Rukawa shook his head.  
  
"Ok. I'll just walk with you guys." Saemi said, mainly because Vivienne was still clinging onto her.  
  
"Do you mind if I come?"  
  
Rukawa shook his head again. They walked for a few minutes with Saemi and Vivienne talking, and then Saemi suddenly stopped. Her face twisted into an unmistakable glare.  
  
Her. brother. was. kissing. a. girl.  
  
She marched up to him, raised an eyebrow, then pointed a finger to his chest.  
  
He looked as if she had zapped him. The girl he was with looked at Saemi. She probably thought Saemi was Sendoh's girlfriend or something. Whatever it was, she glared at Sendoh, too.  
  
"Group project huh?" His sister said calmly. "You liar."  
  
She turned around and went back to where Rukawa was and took a deep breath.  
  
"I don't believe that brother of mine." She fumed. "Let's go."  
  
Rukawa had only seen her mad once before, and he was glad it wasn't because of him. He didn't see the person she got mad at now, but she said it was her brother. He had never seen him before and probably never will if Saemi continues to be mad.  
  
She kept walking, then stopped in front of a white Victorian house and turned to Vivienne and Rukawa.  
  
"This is my best friend's house. I need to talk to him. You know where Viv's house is, right?"  
  
Rukawa nodded. Him? Come to think of it, he had seen this house before...  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm just mad at my brother. Please tell your cousin I'll see him tomorrow if he drops by at your house." She addressed this one to Vivienne. "I'm sorry. I can't stand it if someone lies to me." She sighed.  
  
"See you in school, Kae-chan. And cream my brother in the practice match."  
  
She went up the front steps and entered the house.  
  
*  
  
Now that Rukawa and Vivienne were alone, he thought it would be fine if he asked Viviene who her cousin was. He was curious and he couldn't help it.  
  
"Who's your cousin?" He asked her.  
  
"My cousin? Kenji-niichan?" She said, surprised he was talking to her. They walked towards her house together.  
  
Kenji. He had to know who he was. Someone was already scoring points with Saemi and he didn't even know how yet. He thought about the guy he had seen yesterday in the basketball court.  
  
"He's blonde."  
  
Vivienne looked up at him, surprised. "Yes. And he plays basketball, but he's not as scary as you."  
  
He ignored the fact that she was insulting him and wished he had thrown her out of the ferris wheel.  
  
Blonde. Plays basketball.  
  
"Shoyo." He said, turning to face the little girl. He was relieved she understood her even though he spoke in fragments.  
  
"Yes. He studies in Shoyo. He likes Saemi very much."  
  
So, him. He'd beat his ass in the basketball court any day.  
  
"She likes him?"  
  
"Umm...I don't know, but Akira-niichan and Maki-niichan are always trying to make them my mommy and daddy even though I want Maki-niichan to be my daddy."  
  
"Doaho."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
He shook his head and gestured towards her house.  
  
"Ja ne." She said.  
  
"Ja."  
  
*  
  
Maki watched Saemi raid the fridge. "He lied to you? And he kissed the girl I liked?"  
  
"Yeah, and I hope she thinks I'm Sendoh's girlfriend and dumps him."  
  
"Mean."  
  
"Very."  
  
"I thought you always make up?"  
  
"I'm speaking to him only after you do." She said, brushing crumbs off her pants.  
  
"I'll never speak to him again."  
  
"Easy for you to say. You don't live in the same house."  
  
"Come over everyday."  
  
"It's a bit far from home. I can't walk alone by myself at night. Plus the train stinks."  
  
"Fujima's house?"  
  
"No." She waved her hand to dismiss the subject.  
  
"If you're desperate."  
  
"Not really."  
  
"I said if." Maki leaned over and bit into her sandwich.  
  
"Yuck, you're worse than Akira." She commented, as mustard and ketchup spilled down her front.  
  
She wiped herself with a paper towel as Maki tried to mumble a sorry with his mouth full.  
  
"So what're we gonna do about it?" She asked him as he swallowed and reached for her Gatorade.  
  
He twisted the cap off and drank everything in one gulp.  
  
"I dunno. Silent treatment? He always caves in after that." He threw the empty bottle in the trash  
  
can and grabbed another one from the ref.  
  
"Hmm... I sort of wanted him to suffer. Can't you beat him at basketball or something?"  
  
"We're not talking, remember? Oh yeah, it's time for that show you always watch on Saturdays."  
  
She exited the kitchen and went up to Maki's room. He followed her inside and handed her the  
  
remote.  
  
"Well, who else is good enough to beat him? Who else is there?"  
  
"Fujima?"  
  
She switched on the TV and flipped to her favorite channel. Maki flopped down on his bed so she sat on his computer chair to watch TV.  
  
"You haven't answered. I was suggesting Fujima."  
  
"Hmmm...?" She murmured, mesmerized.  
  
He sighed and waited for the commercials to start.  
  
"Fujima can beat Sendoh."  
  
"Can he?"  
  
"Presumably."  
  
"I want a yes or a no."  
  
Maki thought about it. Sendoh's good, and Fujima's good, but Sendoh has a little of the upper hand...  
  
"I got it!" Saemi jumped up from where she was sitting. "I dunno if he's willing to help, though..."  
  
She frowned, then sat back down as her show came back on. Maki had to contain his curiosity for  
  
ten minutes before the commercials started again.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Rukawa...Rukawa Kaede."  
  
"Never heard of him."  
  
"He's this guy who has his own fan club at school. He's good at basketball, too."  
  
Maki snorted. "How can you tell? You don't even know the difference between a point gaurd and a forward."  
  
"His shots always go in." She said defensively.  
  
"Oh? And how do you know his shots always go in?" He asked, smiling maliciously. "You watched him  
  
all throughout practice, didn't you?"  
  
  
  
Saemi opened her mouth to argue, but no sound came out. It was true. And she didn't want to lie about it.  
  
"So it's true." Maki said slowly, grinning like an idiot.  
  
"Out with it." She snapped, turning the chair to face him. He practically had yellow feathers popping out  
  
of his mouth.  
  
"Seems to me you have a C-R-U-S-H on this...Rukawa Kaede."  
  
At this, she just laughed. "Don't be ridiculous." She said, relaxing. She turned her attention to the TV and ignored Maki.  
  
"Wait till I tell Fujima." He teased.  
  
"Shhh..." Saemi said, watching the scenario on the TV closely.  
  
"He'd be heartbroken."  
  
She didn't reply. Then, the cliffhanger came and the ending credits rolled in.  
  
"It's not true." She said. She looked at him pointedly.  
  
He was still grinning.  
  
"You look like that cat in Alice in Wonderland."  
  
Still grinning.  
  
She grabbed one of his pillows and smacked his face with it.  
  
Still grinning.  
  
"I give up." Saemi said, rolling her eyes. Maki just continued grinning at her.  
  
*  
  
Haruko blushed as she looked at the list in her hand. She couldn't help it. The very first name on the list was the most significant one for her.  
  
Rukawa…  
  
She'd never known anyone who has had this impact on her. It was unimaginable what he could do. But she knew she could never have him.  
  
She stared at his name for a couple more minutes, then picked up the phone. It seemed like an eternity as she decided whether to call him or not, and the monotonous sound of the dial tone mingled with her thoughts. Finally, she dialled his number.  
  
Someone picked up on the third ring.  
  
"Moshimoshi."  
  
It was him. His voice. She felt the emotions welling up inside her as she collected herself from his impact.  
  
"A…Anou…Rukawa-kun."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"It's me. H…Haruko-san."  
  
"Hai."  
  
It pained her how he could be so cold and unemotional. It hurt her that he didn't know how she felt about him.  
  
"I…I wanted t…to ask you if…if you c…could join my P.E. group."  
  
She couldn't stop shaking. She could feel his heavy breathing over the phone, probably because he had just come from playing basketball. She swallowed nervously, then continued.  
  
"Fujii-san, (name of her other friend), Saemi-kun and I are the only members. We need one more…"  
  
"Saemi-kun?"  
  
"Ah…Hai."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Y…you're joining us?"  
  
"Ah."  
  
Haruko breathed a sigh of relief. "Arigatou…Gozaimasu."  
  
"Ja."  
  
He hung up. She couldn't believe it. She, Haruko, had called him up.  
  
She dialed Saemi's number excitedly.  
  
*  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Saemi-kun? Is that you?"  
  
"Ah, ie, this is her friend, Haruko. Is she there?"  
  
There was a sigh from the other line.  
  
"No. But I think you can contact her using this number."  
  
Sendoh gave her Maki's number, wishing he hadn't lied to them both. He just got carried away.  
  
"Arigatou." The girl's voice said and she hung up. He placed the phone on the cradle and collapsed on the couch.  
  
"This can't be happening to me." He muttered, channel-surfing on the TV. Yesterday, the hot chick Maki had introduced to him kissed him, and he had felt like he was on top of the world. But Saemi, and therefore Maki, found out and his cover was blown.  
  
He didn't blame either of them, he had acted like the major jerk he was. He had hurt the two people he loved most and he didn't know how to patch it up with them.  
  
He decided to play a little basketball to relieve himself from his emotions. He pulled the solitary ball from under the sofa and headed towards the court.  
  
Someone was already there, practicing shooting. He decided to play one on one with whoever he was as warm up. He climbed up the stone steps to the entrance of the court.  
  
It was Fujima. Sweat glistened off his skin indicating that he had been there for quite some time. His hair was damp and he was panting heavily. He stopped dribbling and gripped the ball when he saw Sendoh.  
  
For a few moments, all they did was stare at each other, then Fujima was the first to speak.  
  
"I heard you had a fight with them both."  
  
So he knew. Nothing that happened to Maki ever escaped his ears. The Ryonan player didn't say anything and shot the ball from where he was standing. It circled the rim before going inside the hoop with a small swish.  
  
Fujima followed suit, and somewhere in the middle of it, they abandoned Sendoh's ball and started playing against each other. Sendoh was winning 8-7 when he saw his mom's car in the driveway.  
  
"I gotta go."  
  
It startled Fujima for him to be saying that, but he shrugged and let him anyway. Sendoh grabbed his ball and walked towards his house slowly.  
  
'He's getting better.' He thought to himself.  
  
*  
  
Rukawa stared at the teacher, hoping she didn't say what she had just said. Saemi raised her hand to ask a question, making it clear she didn't believe it either.  
  
"Er…sensei, what do you mean we're supposed to act?"  
  
The teacher sighed and wrote 'Cinderella' on the blackboard.  
  
"For the first semester, you will have to present this play to pass Literature."  
  
A few students were excited, but most of the class were sulking.  
  
Rukawa lost interest and slept, hoping the teacher would change her mind. Saemi, on the other hand, was thinking of fighting force by force.  
  
"But sensei, not all of us can act. And isn't drama supposed to be for seniors only?"  
  
"You cannot change my mind, Saemi. I'm sorry."  
  
She groaned and thought about it. What did she know about acting? Nothing. So why should she act?  
  
'Because you're being forced to…This is nuts.'  
  
She sighed and stared at the script. Hopefully this wasn't as hard as it seemed…  
  
*  
  
Well, that's it! To whoever is reading this, till the next chappie! Bye bye!!! 


	4. Four

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chappy is dedicated to Nellie, rurouni, E.C. and jeano! Thanks for the reviews, guys. Thanks for the hair color, Nellie. : ) Thanks for pointing that out, rurouni. : )  
  
(Don't worry, Fujima's a good guy here. Anybody who wants him to take the girl? I can easily scrap the RukawaxOC sign.)  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Four  
  
Rukawa glared at the lit. teacher sleepily. Leave it to him to trigger his bad mood. The teacher had assigned the roles, and Saemi was Cinderella-but Rukawa wasn't the prince.  
  
'Doaho. He can't pair her with someone else,' He thought sulkily, half asleep.  
  
Saemi was telling the teacher how bad she was at acting and the teacher was reassuring her she could learn fast.  
  
'Baka sensei. It's obvious she has stage fright.' Rukawa thought, half listening to their conversation. The prince, Furisato Ken, was trembling with glee.  
  
"Calm down, Ms. Sendoh. I'm sure you'll do fine." The teacher said, sighing. "Practice is during lit. class, and the play is on December."  
  
She sat down half heartedly after the teacher reassured her and read the script.  
  
'I can't do this… It's too hard. If only Oniichan and I weren't fighting, he'd help me for sure.'  
  
She glanced at Ken. He smiled encouragingly at her.  
  
'He looks so calm… But then again, he's had a few acting lessons…'  
  
She sighed, then averted her gaze to Rukawa, who was sleeping by then.  
  
'How come he's always so lucky? He's Cinderella's dad so he doesn't have to say anything.'  
  
The teacher was writing down the point equivalent of the play on the board, so Saemi copied it down.  
  
'Deal with this after 'niichan and I make up,' She thought as the bell rang. She gathered her stuff and headed towards Haruko's classroom.  
  
The brown-haired girl was bursting with excitement. "Saemi-kun! I got the lead part for our lit. play." She said happily. "I'll be playing Snow White."  
  
"Ah, cool… I'll be playing Cinderella." Saemi said hesitantly.  
  
"That's great!" Fujii said, emerging from the classroom.  
  
"But I'm sure I'll get stage fright."  
  
"Don't think about that now. You'll do fine." Haruko assured her. "By the way, we have to talk to Rukawa-kun about the project." She blushed as she mentioned his name.  
  
"Oh yeah…My house is available this Saturday. We can do our homework together, too, because that's after the match with Ryonan." Saemi said thoughtfully.  
  
"Oh, good, I can't wait for the match tomorrow."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
They entered the gym, and Saemi went to sit with Ayako. She brought the script with her so she could memorize while watching.  
  
"I see you've become more interested in basketball now." Ayako observed, watching Saemi watch the practice game.  
  
"Yeah… It looks boring if you play one-on-one only, though. My brother usually plays at home with our best friend."  
  
"Uh huh. You're brother's a great player, I'm sure we'll have a tough time tomorrow because of him."  
  
"Hmmm…maybe."  
  
"Why maybe?"  
  
"He's good, but…"  
  
"But what?"  
  
"I think Kae-chan can beat him."  
  
"Rukawa?"  
  
"Ah…my brother's too careless. And…"  
  
It pained her to think about him. She kept on remembering his lie.  
  
"You fought, didn't you?"  
  
"Huh?" Ayako's question caught her off guard. "We…we…?"  
  
"I've known you for a long time. I can tell."  
  
"A…As a matter of fact…"  
  
"Everything's gonna be okay"  
  
They continued to watch the practice in silence.  
  
*  
  
Saemi thought about what Ayako had said to her.  
  
"Am I that transparent?" She said aloud.  
  
"Yeah." Sendoh's voice said. "Wanna make up?"  
  
Saemi turned around to see him smiling at her. Five days. For five days they hadn't spoken to each other. She was overwhelmed.  
  
"Oniichan." She started crying. Sendoh hugged her.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He said softly, wiping her tears with his hand.  
  
"Baka." Saemi said, sobbing. "You lied to me."  
  
"I'm sorry. C'mon, it won't happen again. I missed you."  
  
"Baka. You have to treat me and Maki for this." She gave him a tearful smile. Sendoh wiped her face with his shirt.  
  
"Sure. Anything you say." He said, patting her head. He smiled again.  
  
"Wanna play basketball? I'll try to teach you again." He grabbed a basketball from under the coffee table.  
  
"Sure."  
  
They entered the court together, happier than they've been in days.  
  
*  
  
"You look happy. What happened? Yesterday you could barely shoot." Hikoichi said, staring at Sendoh.  
  
"Something good happened. See you later at our match with Shohoku. I'm looking forward to it."  
  
"I'm sure you'll do well. You always do."  
  
"Even yesterday?"  
  
"Well…"  
  
Sendoh laughed. "I'll catch a few winks. See you later."  
  
"Ja."  
  
*  
  
"This is it, team." Akagi said as they boarded the train. Saemi sat with Ayako and Kogure near the front. "The day we've all been waiting for."  
  
He grinned for a few moments and then said, "Pull your butts an inch from the seats!"  
  
Saemi and Ayako grinned to each other.  
  
"You've made up." Ayako whispered as she timed the boys.  
  
"Yup." Saemi whispered back.  
  
They smiled again.  
  
The train announced that they were already in Ryonan High. Saemi hopped off the train first and wished everybody good luck.  
  
"Are you rooting for Shohoku?" Sakuragi asked her.  
  
"Of course. I hope you beat Ryonan." She said. "Go, Tensai."  
  
"Nyahahahaha." He laughed. "You can count on me."  
  
"Good luck."  
  
Rukawa stepped out of the train.  
  
"Kae-chan." Saemi was going to tell him how to beat Sendoh when Akagi hurried them all inside.  
  
"Let's go, team!"  
  
They hurried to change, and the fiasco in the locker room took place. So Sakuragi wore the 10 shirt and Rukawa wore the 11 one.  
  
Saemi and Ayako walked to the Shohoku bench together.  
  
"Where's Sendoh?"  
  
"He's not here yet."  
  
The match was about to start, but Sendoh wasn't there yet. Finally, he appeared, a little ruffled, but looking cool nonetheless.  
  
"Sorry. I overslept." He told the coach. He winked at Saemi.  
  
"Enough excuses!" The Ryonan coach roared, ushering him to his uniform. "Change quickly!"  
  
"Hai, hai."  
  
Rukawa eyed him beadily. So this was Sendoh.  
  
Sakuragi approached him and told him he'd beat him.  
  
Sendoh laughed.  
  
The game started, and the first half ended with a score of 50-42, Ryonan. Sendoh had exhibited his skill at basketball and was practically strutting in all the glory.  
  
"Show off." Saemi muttered under her breath.  
  
The second half started, and Shohoku began to catch up with heated plays by Akagi and Rukawa. 9 minutes before the game ended, though, Akagi was injured. Sakuragi was called to substitute for him.  
  
Saemi went with Akagi and Haruko to the locker room to patch up his wound, since they left the first aid kit there. Sakuragi tensed as he was called inside the court.  
  
He was stiff as a board when he entered the game, and managed to foul twice. Rukawa kicked him to wake him up.  
  
"Oi, Doaho. Look at you, all stiff and tense."  
  
"Nandato?! Baka kitsune!"  
  
They had engaged in a fist fight when the Ryonan coach came to stop them.  
  
Sakuragi hit him hard on the head.  
  
The play started, and Sakuragi showed his moves. He was good, but stupid nonetheless since he really didn't know anything about the game.  
  
"I'll beat Sendoh." He muttered to himself.  
  
(Meanwhile, in the locker room…)  
  
"Your head injury's not so serious, Akagi. But you should at least stay here for five minutes before going back to the game." Saemi said.  
  
"What? Any other doctor would say Oniichan can't play anymore." Haruko said, looking at her brother's head.  
  
"Well, he's certainly not an ordinary person. I've seen Akira-niichan with bigger lumps on his head and it didn't hurt him."  
  
Akagi growled. "Five minutes more?! I can't sit here for that long."  
  
"Take it or leave it, Captain. If you don't let it stand for five minutes I won't allow you to play."  
  
"All right. That Sendoh sure is something."  
  
"Yeah, but…"  
  
"But what?"  
  
"I told Ayako but she just laughed at me."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, Oniichan easily gets tired, you know, if he runs a lot. So you have to wear him out in the first half before using Rukawa."  
  
"What?! And you didn't tell me?! That could've worked!"  
  
"I'm not sure." Saemi said, as Akagi stood up, looming over her.  
  
"Is it five minutes already?"  
  
"Yeah. Go on. Get a Shohoku victory."  
  
"Count on it."  
  
*  
  
"Four minutes left. Without Akagi, we're so weak." Ayako sighed.  
  
"Make that three minutes."  
  
Suddenly, Akagi yelled at the Shohoku players.  
  
"What kind of ignorance is this?!" He bellowed.  
  
"Akagi!"  
  
"Captain!"  
  
"Gorilla!"  
  
"Switch with me, Rukawa."  
  
"Hai."  
  
Rukawa headed towards the bench and sat down next to Saemi. One of the players handed him a towel.  
  
"Want a drink?" Saemi asked, handing him a bottle. He took it and drank bottoms up.  
  
"You did great, Rukawa." Ayako said.  
  
"Ah."  
  
"You'll come in on the last two minutes." Anzai-sensei said.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Do you think we'll win?" Saemi asked, turning to him.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"I hope we do. Good luck."  
  
Two more minutes.  
  
  
  
Sendoh and Uozomi were on fire. Rukawa asked to enter the court.  
  
Sakuragi and Rukawa double teamed Sendoh. The score was 81-79, Ryonan.  
  
One minute left.  
  
(Dunno what happened next) ^_^()  
  
*  
  
"Don't be too sad about it, Kae-chan. You'll beat him next time. See you tomorrow."  
  
Saemi's words replayed in his mind.  
  
"You'll beat him next time."  
  
He rolled over on his bed and picked up the phone. He wanted a rematch with Ryonan. He wanted to beat that so-called ace.  
  
He slammed the receiver on the phone. But how? He didn't know. Furious, he grabbed his basketball and went to the court to practice.  
  
'How could he play so smoothly? How can he hide his thoughts?'  
  
His features were unreadable because of the stupid smile on his face. It was there, ever present, the mask of his real emotions.  
  
Rukawa dunked the ball. There had to be a way to get better. There had to be.  
  
He imagined that Sendoh was in front of him, guarding him. He tried to dodge him, then shot the ball. It missed, bouncing off the rim and landing in the middle of the court.  
  
He stood still for a moment, then walked towards the ball and picked it up with one hand.  
  
It was about 8 o clock, still early. He dribbled the ball and stayed there practicing until 10.  
  
*  
  
"Don't be so nervous. You have to play the character. You're not Saemi anymore, but Cinderella."  
  
Saemi sighed. "But how? I'm not her."  
  
"You have to BE her. You're now the poor girl who is abused by her step family or whatever you call them. It's a piece of cake, really."  
  
"But I think about all the people who are watching and I get sick."  
  
Sendoh smiled. "Don't think about them. Okay, let's make this easier for you. Imagine that your stepmother is… your hatest teacher. And the stepsisters are those annoying twins you have to babysit.  
  
"Think about it. You have to follow everything they say because they have this power over you and you follow them because you're a good girl."  
  
Saemi imagined for a moment.  
  
"Go. Say your lines."  
  
She did and acted them out perfectly.  
  
"See? You're learning. Onto the prince part."  
  
"Prince part? Why are you skipping the fairy godsomething scene?"  
  
"Because I don't like it." He said simply.  
  
"Okay. What does the script say?"  
  
"You don't say much. You have to shut up for the whole party except when you're leaving and you trip on the stairs."  
  
"Oh? And the prince says…?"  
  
"He's just gonna ask you to dance and he's home free. Oh yeah, he says, wait, don't go, too, and he has to order his henchmen to look for the owner of the slipper. Basically it's the narrator who has the most to say."  
  
"Is the play short?"  
  
"Forty minutes at least."  
  
Saemi sighed. "Okay, let's do it."  
  
  
  
*  
  
Rukawa glanced at the piece of paper Haruko had given him yesterday and checked if the address on it and the house he was standing in front of were the same.  
  
He depressed the door bell button and waited for someone to answer the door. He was greeted by none other than the Ryonan ace himself.  
  
"Ah, it's you. What a pleasant surprise." Sendoh said, grinning. Rukawa frowned.  
  
"It's so early in the morning and you're in a bad mood?" The spikey haired guy continued.  
  
"Where's Saemi?" Rukawa said.  
  
"Oh yeah, you're her groupmate or something. She told me about it yesterday, and I asked her if I could borrow you for a game or two."  
  
"Hn. Doaho."  
  
"Oh? Well, come on inside, you're the first to arrive. I'll go wake Saemi up."  
  
Rukawa entered the house. It was cozy and warm, and Sendoh's friends were in the living room. He saw the brown haired guy and 'Kenji' playing chess in one corner. Koshino was there, too, in front of a checkers board he and Sendoh had probably been playing before he answered the door.  
  
He could hear someone banging on a door upstairs and Sendoh's voice yelling. It was something like, "Oi, Saemi, open the door or I'll tell mom not to stock the refrigerator for a week."  
  
He heard the door open and heard someone (presumably Sendoh) crashing into a wall. He heard a disgruntled 'baka' and things became quiet again for a few minutes.  
  
Sendoh was rubbing his head when he went down the stairs. Saemi followed while tying her hair in a ponytail.  
  
"Since your other groupmates aren't here yet, let's play a little three on three." Sendoh suggested.  
  
"How? You're only five." His sister said, moving Fujima's queen to checkmate Maki.  
  
"You included." Maki said, his hands on his hips. "And for your information, Saemi, Fujima and I were betting on that game."  
  
"Well, pay up." She said smiling. Fujima grinned.  
  
Koshino stood up and grabbed his basketball. "I'm in for that. This freshie's pretty good." He headed towards the backdoor, and, therefore, the court.  
  
"Well?" Saemi asked Rukawa.  
  
"Sure."  
  
She nodded to Sendoh. "Alright. I'll play. But no one can blame me if I mess up."  
  
"Hai!" Maki, Sendoh and Fujima said together, grinning. They went out together. Rukawa followed them.  
  
They chose the groupings by drawing lots. Saemi, Rukawa and Maki in one team and Koshino, Sendoh and Fujima in the other.  
  
The game started. The team who gets 30 points first wins. Rukawa was amazed that Saemi can jump high and steal balls easily. It made up for her lousy shooting skills. Sendoh was fouling her all the time just so she can make a fool out of herself while free throwing.  
  
"Baka!" Saemi fumed as the ball landed nowhere near the hoop.  
  
"Hah! You may jump high and steal the ball from us but all in all you still suck."  
  
Saemi stuck her tongue at her brother.  
  
"We're winning anyway. 26-24." She said proudly.  
  
"No thanks to you." Her brother provoked, grinning. Saemi mock-glared at him. Everybody except Rukawa laughed.  
  
'These are all good players. I could barely catch up.' He thought.  
  
'Koshino is the only one I can beat as of now. And, well, Saemi.'  
  
She was trying to get his attention while dribbling the ball between her legs. Sendoh was guarding her leisurely. She passed to Rukawa. He passed it to Maki. He scored.  
  
"28-24 people." Saemi said. Sendoh countered with a three pointer.  
  
"A tres. A nice tres, if I do say so myself."  
  
"Big head."  
  
"28-27, people." Sendoh said, causing Saemi to raise an eyebrow. Rukawa scored the victory shot. He was panting a bit, but the others barely broke a sweat.  
  
"Well, you and your friend better get going. He can borrow my shirt."  
  
"Sure." Saemi beckoned for Rukawa to follow her. She handed him a white shirt.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Need anything else?" She smiled. Rukawa felt his insides melt.  
  
"Ie. How can you jump high and all?"  
  
"Oh? I play volleyball and tennis, remember?" She wasn't really sweating because she just stood in the middle of the game and left it to Maki to block Sendoh's shots.  
  
"Oh."  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
"Haruko and the others are here."  
  
She turned to answer the door, but Rukawa caught her wrist.  
  
"Are you free later?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Let's watch a movie."  
  
"Er…sure."  
  
He let go, and she went to answer the door.  
  
'That wasn't so hard.' He thought to himself. 'Those practice sessions sure paid off.'  
  
*  
  
Well, till the next chappy! Buh bye! Smile, smile. Criticize all you like, peeps. Press the review button. 


	5. Five

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chapter's dedicated to SeraphAngel, Nellie, rurouni, E.C. and jeano. Thanks for the reviews, guys. : )  
  
Disclaimer  
  
Five  
  
Rukawa leaned over to get the glue from the coffee table from where he was sitting on the couch with Saemi. His arm brushed Saemi's knee lightly, causing a warm tingle to shoot up his body. She must have felt it, too, because she looked at him and they stared at each other for a few minutes.  
  
He straightened up, and Saemi cleared her throat. Luckily, the other girls were too absorbed in researching for the assigned sport, which was basketball.  
  
"What is it, Saemi?" Haruko asked, looking up from the encyclopedia she was looking at. "Ah! Sugoi!" She said, looking at the papier mache basketball Rukawa and Saemi were working on.  
  
It was still black and white, but it was the exact size and shape of a basketball.  
  
"What did you say we were gonna do with that?" Fujii asked, taking one of Saemi's markers off the coffee table.  
  
"We're gonna make this into a kind of box, and we're gonna put the basketball scrapbooks you're making inside. I'll top it off with illustrations."  
  
"Wow, Saemi, you're so good at thinking of these stuff. How do you do it?" Haruko asked.  
  
"Um…I dunno. I just love arts and crafts." She smiled.  
  
Rukawa held up the papier mache basketball.  
  
"It's done." He said. Saemi inspected it.  
  
"Okay. Wanna bring it home? We're coming over to your house next week. We can paint it then, because it's still wet."  
  
"Okay." He set it on the small cardboard ring on the table.  
  
"Now that that's done… How are you doing with the research?" Saemi asked.  
  
"Hmm… pretty good. The stuff here is interesting."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They worked together silently for a couple more hours. Finally, Akagi came to fetch Haruko, and the two girls went with her.  
  
"Want to walk home with us, Rukawa?" Akagi said.  
  
"No."  
  
"Suit yourself. Let's go."  
  
Haruko was blushing again. "See you Monday, Rukawa-kun. Saemi-kun."  
  
"Bye." Saemi said, waving.  
  
The door closed, and their voices faded away.  
  
Rukawa was the first to speak.  
  
"Anou. Saemi-kun."  
  
"Ah, Kae-chan?"  
  
"Are we still… are you still…?"  
  
"Going to the movies with you? Of course." She smiled at him.  
  
At that moment, Sendoh and friends entered the living room. Koshino hurried out the door. "Gotta go. Mom's gonna kill me." He said.  
  
Sendoh stretched and plopped down on the sofa. "Ahhh… what's this?" He looked at the papier mache baskeball.  
  
"Keep your sweaty hands off it." Saemi said protectively.  
  
"Oh? You're still here?" Maki observed, looking at Rukawa. Saemi whispered something to Sendoh.  
  
"Eh?" The spike-head said, his eyes widening. "Did I hear that right?"  
  
"Yes, and shut up." His sister pulled a sweater over her head and walked towards Rukawa.  
  
"You two have a date?" Fujima said quietly. Maki and Sendoh exchanged glances.  
  
"I didn't tell." Sendoh said defensively.  
  
"It's not a date." Saemi said quickly. Maki was grinning like crazy.  
  
Fujima tried to smile. "Can we come, too, then?"  
  
Saemi looked at Rukawa. He was staring at a non-existent spot on the wall.  
  
"Err… Kae-chan?"  
  
"Sure." He muttered.  
  
Fujima gave a meaningful glare at Maki and Sendoh.  
  
"Fujima, we can't watch a movie after playing basketball. We're sweaty and we might catch cold."  
  
"Yeah. Leave the two alone, it's not like something will happen."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
Saemi sweatdropped at Maki and Sendoh's lame excuses.  
  
"Well, we'll be going now."  
  
Fujima glared at Rukawa.  
  
"Ah… ja." Saemi said, tugging at Rukawa's shirt.  
  
*  
  
Saemi laughed as soon as she and Rukawa were out the house, but he didn't seem amused at all.  
  
"Don't worry about Fujima, if that's what you're worried about." She said, smiling. "I talked it over with him but he can't get over it."  
  
He pretended he wasn't listening, but deep in his heart he was relieved.  
  
"So, Kae-chan, tell me." She said as they walked to the nearby mall. "IS this a date?"  
  
"No," He said automatically. "I just feel like going to the movies."  
  
"Oh." She smiled. They arrived and Rukawa paid for the snacks and tickets.  
  
"I thought this wasn't a date." She pointed out as Rukawa handed her her favorite snacks.  
  
"You're a girl." He said simply.  
  
"Hey, how'd you know I liked Chocolate Mint ice cream and Kitkat and that I hated popcorn?" She asked, rummaging through the food as Rukawa handed the tickets to the people who collected them.  
  
"We have the same favorites." He said, pretending not to notice her. He stepped into the movie theatre and she followed him. They sat down and began eating.  
  
"What're we watching?" Saemi whispered, finishing the Choco Mint ice cream.  
  
"Star Wars." Rukawa said.  
  
They watched the movie and stuffed themselves with their snacks. When they stood up to leave, their feet were surrounded by plastic wrappers, spoons, forks, cups and other garbage.  
  
"Run for it." Saemi giggled as the movie usher approached them suspiciously.  
  
She and Rukawa tried to get away from the usher by pretending they were just passing by and insulting "the pigs who couldn't throw their own trash" and leaving the place as quickly as possible.  
  
Rukawa sent her home and got a kiss on the cheek. He turned red but neither noticed since it was kind of dark already.  
  
"See you Monday, Kae-chan."  
  
"Ah."  
  
He turned around and practically skipped all the way home.  
  
*  
  
The lit. teacher had tears in his eyes when the students of I-10 finished the general rehearsal of Cinderella.  
  
"You're the first class who's finished with the play. And I'm proud of you." He sobbed. He gave the remaining practice days to them free. Rukawa used them to play basketball, while Saemi used them to catch up on what Rukawa thought was Fourth Year college homework.  
  
The Shohoku basketball team was now preparing for the Inter-High eliminations, especially Rukawa. Mitsui and Ryota were on the team now, too. Anzai-sensei was planning on an unchaperoned three day overnight camp with the other coaches.  
  
The whole basketball team was in high spirits and in a fighting mood.  
  
Akagi announced the camp that practice day.  
  
"Are you going to the three nighter camp, Kae-chan?" Saemi asked. She was the one Akagi assigned to gather the names of those who will join and their fees.  
  
"Hai." He handed her the money. She checked his name and went over to Sakuragi.  
  
Suddenly, Haruko appreared, panting. "Saemi-kun! I need your help." She gasped.  
  
Saemi frowned and handed the list to Ayako. "Captain?"  
  
"Hai." Akagi gave her permission. She followed Haruko and practice went on as usual. The basketball members were in the middle of a heated basketball game when someone outside screamed. All the boys rushed out of the gym.  
  
*  
  
What'll happen next? Sorry for the short chapter. Hehehe… Ne, review what you think. Hihihihihi. : ) 


	6. Six

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chappy is dedicated to SeraphAngel, cookies, E.C., jeano, rurouni and Nellie. Thanks for the reviews, guys. Here's the next chapter!!!  
  
By the way, I'll be posting a new chappy every 3 days bec. I already finished the fic…I'm thinking of writing a prequel. Anybody who wants me too? It's gonna be about their junior high days…when Saemi was still a nerd. ^_^() Anyway…  
  
Disclaimer  
  
Six  
  
Rukawa was the first one out the gym doors. He'd know that scream anywhere. That was Saemi's scream.  
  
Only he didn't expect her to be hanging on the school's second floor railings.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" She yelled. Rukawa knew for a fact that she was afraid of heights. Afraid? Nah. Absolutely terrified's more like it.  
  
The boys rushed towards her. They were the only ones there since they had early evening practices while the other sports clubs went home at five o clock.  
  
"DON'T LOOK UP YOU HENTAIS! I'M WEARING A SKIRT!!!!"  
  
"Saemi, you're only about fifteen feet from the ground. If you let go, I'll catch you." Mitsui said.  
  
"No way! Oniiiiiiiiiiiiichan!" She was definitely panicking, and there were tears on her face.  
  
"I'm going up." Rukawa said.  
  
"How'd she get up there?" Kogure asked, as Saemi yelled at a few guys who were trying to look up her skirt.  
  
"She was trying to get my cat off the second floor awning. Haruko called her to help because she was tall." Fujii said, holding the cat.  
  
"Why not call one of the guys?"  
  
"She didn't want to disturb practice. Anyway, Saemi stood on the railing and grabbed the cat but it scratched her and she fell." Haruko's friend finished. Haruko nodded.  
  
"We were gonna call you but I guess Saemi beat us to it."  
  
"Look! It's Rukawa."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Rukawa was obviously talking-or trying to talk to-Saemi. It was also obvious she wasn't listening.  
  
"Oi. Doaho." Rukawa called.  
  
"Nandato? How can you call me doaho?!" Sakuragi fumed.  
  
"Get a ladder."  
  
"Why should I?!" Sakuragi muttered, but followed anyway. Everybody was watching Rukawa and Saemi.  
  
*  
  
Rukawa tried to pull Saemi up, but she wouldn't let go of the railing.  
  
"Oi. Let go." He said, irritated.  
  
"NO!" Saemi said in a loud voice. She sounded like his cheerleaders but Rukawa forgave her since she thought she was gonna die.  
  
"Two choices. One, I'll pull you up. Two, You climb down."  
  
Saemi paled at the thought of climbing down a ladder. She looked down and saw Sakuragi carrying a wooden one and placing it next to her.  
  
"IIIEEEE!!! Yaru yaru yaru!!!!"  
  
She closed her eyes and Rukawa pulled her again. He had only lifted her a little when she opened her eyes. She found out that she was no longer holding the railing and that she was only hanging on one of Rukawa's arms.  
  
She started screaming hysterically again. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPP!!!!!!!"  
  
"He's got her." Kogure said as Rukawa rolled his eyes at her and pulled her to him.  
  
It took one whole minute for all the people downstairs to register what he had done.  
  
"He HUGGED her! I didn't know he knew how to that."  
  
"What?! The kitsune's taking advantage of her!"  
  
Saemi was sobbing and wasn't paying attention to the people around her.  
  
Sakuragi was up there immediately and broke them up. He handed her a bottle of water.  
  
"That's no way to treat a lady, kitsune."  
  
"Doaho."  
  
They went down the stairs with Saemi following them as they eyed each other murderously.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ayako hugged the redheaded girl. She wiped her tears away.  
  
"That was stupid." Saemi commented. "I've never been so scared in my life."  
  
Mitsui and Ryota grinned at her. "Well, you're okay now."  
  
Akagi nodded. "I think we should call this a day. Someone bring her home."  
  
Rukawa stepped forward. Sakuragi intervened.  
  
"Are you really letting that foxy face take her home?!" He growled. He and Rukawa were staring daggers at each other.  
  
"Let him be. He's her classmate, so they know each other better." Kogure said.  
  
Haruko was silent the whole time. She had a hunch about Rukawa's behavior, and she didn't like it one bit.  
  
Sakuragi finally consented. Rukawa picked up Saemi's purple backpack and walked with her to the train station.  
  
"Daijobu?" He asked softly, staring straight ahead.  
  
"Daijobu." Saemi replied. "I'll be okay now. You can go home."  
  
He shook his head and they sat down on the train together. They didn't speak the whole way, and when they were finally near Saemi's house she laughed.  
  
"Doushite?" Rukawa said.  
  
"You should've seen your face when I was up there. Thanks for caring about me."  
  
She smiled, waved goodbye and entered her house.  
  
"Ja."  
  
"Ja."  
  
He thought about what she had said all the way home.  
  
*  
  
"It's not funny, Sendoh." Maki said, frowning. "She could've died."  
  
Sendoh was rolling all over the floor, laughing. Fujima shook his head gravely.  
  
"If you don't want her as your sister, I'll take her home with me." Maki said.  
  
"NO!" Sendoh sat up. Saemi was in her room, watching TV.  
  
Fujima had finally given up on Saemi(or so, he thought) and their friendship was stronger than ever. If people would be asked to point out who Saemi's brother was and the choices were Sendoh, Maki and him, Sendoh would be completely ignored.  
  
"Well, we'd better get ready for the three nighter. Saemi's coming too, right?" Fujima said, stretching.  
  
"Yeah. But she's only rooting for Shohoku. We already tried bribing." Sendoh replied.  
  
Saemi appeared on top of the stairs.  
  
"Hey, are you coming to my play? It's coming near already."  
  
"Oh, sure."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"That's, like, a week after the three nighter, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So you okay now? I wanted to see you hanging on the railings, too." Sendoh said.  
  
"Haha." Saemi said dryly. She rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"I can't wait to beat Shohoku." He said.  
  
"We can't wait to beat you, too." She answered.  
  
They grinned at each other.  
  
"Oh, Saemi, I forgot to tell you." Maki was saying. "About Nobu-kun's birthday party."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Well, he sort of wants you to go with a partner so maybe you can invite Rukawa to come along. You know, a sort of rule."  
  
She raised an eyebrow but agreed.  
  
"I'll call him!" Sendoh volunteered.  
  
"How'd you know his number?" Saemi asked.  
  
"Telephone Directory."  
  
"You've been planning this all along!" She looked at Fujima. He smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Don't worry, sis. Leave it to us."  
  
She sighed, smiling. "Alright. Whatever you say. I'm going to bed."  
  
*  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ah! Rukawa-rookie. It's me, Sendoh. I was wondering…what are you doing on Saturday night? Yeah, after the three nighter."  
  
"Why?" Came the irritated reply.  
  
"Hmmm…it's just that my sister needs a date for a party, and I was wondering if you were available. But if you're busy, Kenji-kun here will gladly---"  
  
"I'll go."  
  
"Sure thing, super rookie. Well, I'll see you here at my house and we can go together. Be here at about 6:30. Casual wear. Oh yeah, and you have to promise to take care of my sis, the main reason I picked you. Well, ja."  
  
"Ja."  
  
They hung up the phone.  
  
"Well?" Maki said expectantly.  
  
"He said yes." Sendoh said. He looked around the room. "Where's Fuj?"  
  
"He said he had to leave already before you started speaking on the phone. His mom beeped him."  
  
  
  
"Oh. So how about you?"  
  
"I'm sleeping over, you dope! Remember?"  
  
"Oh, I remember! Oh yeah, Kainan has a holiday or something, and then we're going to the three nighter together."  
  
"Baka."  
  
Sendoh smiled. "Well, at least someone can help me wake Saemi up in the morning."  
  
*  
  
Sendoh stared at Saemi who was eating breakfast in the kitchen.  
  
"You're up early!" He exclaimed.  
  
"Well, duh, I wasn't in my room and you look in there every morning."  
  
"Yeah, you weren't, and I was assuming you got kidnapped or something so I went downstairs to tell mom."  
  
"Very funny." Saemi said sarcastically, handing him a plate.  
  
"Morning." Maki said, appearing on top of the stairs. He had taken a shower and his hair was still wet.  
  
"Morning." Sendoh and Saemi said together.  
  
"I'll bring you to school if you like, Saemi."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Hey, that's not fair! Everybody'll think she's Maki's sister." Sendoh said.  
  
"Everybody already thinks I'm Maki's sister." Saemi retorted. Maki nodded in agreement.  
  
Sendoh smiled.  
  
"Alright, Alright. Maybe we can get Maki to adopt us."  
  
Maki grinned. "That'd be cool."  
  
"Yeah." Saemi agreed.  
  
They headed to their respective schools so they wouldn't be late.  
  
*  
  
"Bye, Maki-chan."  
  
"Bye. Don't forget to take your vitamins."  
  
"Shaddup."  
  
"I'm not kidding."  
  
Saemi rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay."  
  
"Bye." He said again, and then turned to leave. "Pick you up later, ne?" Unbeknownst to them, a group of girls were gossiping about them eagerly.  
  
Saemi walked to her classroom in a good mood. The group of girls spying on her followed. That afternoon, rumors spread about her faster than a forest fire.  
  
"Did you see Saemi's new boyfriend?"  
  
"Yeah. He's gorgeous!" (is he?)  
  
"Really? That's so cool."  
  
Of course, Rukawa heard and wanted to know who the "boyfriend" was. He also heard that the "boyfriend" was picking her up later.  
  
'He'd better be either Koshino or Maki.' He thought. He was dreading Fujima picking Saemi up from school.  
  
The three-nighter was tomorrow, and the Shohoku basketball team was excited. They did very well and Rukawa expected the "boyfriend" to show up anytime soon.  
  
As if on cue, Maki appeared and waved at Saemi. Rukawa breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't paying attention at Maki, though. She was looking at…  
  
At…  
  
Rukawa couldn't believe it. She was looking at HIM.  
  
'What's up with her?' He thought.  
  
Maki strode over to her and waved a hand in front of her face. She hit him hard on the head and glared. He grinned and started teasing her.  
  
'She was looking…at me…' He shook his head. She probably was just staring and he was lucky enough to stand on the place she was staring at.  
  
Practice continued.  
  
Haruko was telling the girls who had spied at Maki and Sendoh that they were best friends. They sulked away, disappointed.  
  
When practice ended, Akagi went over to talk to Maki. Saemi was listening to them talk. Rukawa played basketball.  
  
An hour later, the boys headed home. Everyone was glad because because of the camp, they would skip 3 days of school. (whoopee!)  
  
*  
  
"Alright! This is such a cool place!"  
  
The Shohoku Team had just arrived at the "Camp Place", which was a University. The school had declared a week-long holiday and the 4 coaches decided to use it for the three-nighter of the High School players.  
  
They decided to have the first day as personal training, then practice games on the second and third days in the round robin format. Kainan and Shohoku were on fire since they were the ones going to the Inter High.  
  
They began practicing for the next days' games until nighttime.  
  
*  
  
Rukawa went up to his dorm room groggily. He felt dizzy and faint, and he didn't know why. He suspected it was that weird-colored drink he had taken during practice. Well, he thought it was safe because it was Haruko who gave it to him.  
  
He felt like throwing up. He collapsed on the bed and picked up the phone on the side table. He started dialing the first numbers which popped into his mind.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Oh, great. Of all the people in the university he got that idiotic dimwit.  
  
"Doaho?"  
  
"Oi, kitsune! What do you want?"  
  
"Come here."  
  
"Why? Why will I come to you? I'm not your slave. Nyahahahahahaha."  
  
"I'm sick."  
  
"Eh? You're sick? And you expect me to believe that? Nyahaha…What's your room number again?"  
  
Rukawa was sweating heavily.  
  
"Uh…4356." He said with difficulty.  
  
"Kitsune? Kitsune? Oi, kitsune! Oi! You're scaring me!"  
  
The phone slid out of Rukawa's hand and he fell, unconscious.  
  
*  
  
Well, that's it. Please tell me what u think…thanks. : ) 


	7. Seven

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chappy is dedicated to J.L., Sy, SeraphAngel, jeano, rurouni, Nellie and E.C.!!! Thanks for the reviews, guys. : )  
  
Rurouni: What do you mean heads will roll in camp? ^_^()  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Seven  
  
Sakuragi stared at the phone he was holding. "OI! KITSUNE!" He yelled. There was no answer from the other line.  
  
He dialed Saemi's number as fast as he can. "Come on… pick up…"  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello? Saemi, is that you?"  
  
"Ah…hai." She sounded startled. "Tensai? Is something wrong?"  
  
"It's kitsune. He called me and said he was sick. I don't know if it's true, but I think he collapsed in---"  
  
"NANDATO?!"  
  
"Just get to him. I'll follow you as soon as I call Gorilla."  
  
"Okay."  
  
He hung up and dialed Akagi's room number.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Captain Gorilla? Something's wrong with the kitsune."  
  
"What?"  
  
Sakuragi heard something like a door bursting out of its hinges.  
  
"Oniichan! Rukawa-kun, he's---"  
  
"Go and talk to Sakuragi. Tell him to get his butt up here."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Sakuragi-kun?" Haruko's voice said.  
  
"H-H-H-Haruko-san!" He answered, blushing.  
  
"Sakuragi-kun, You should go up here. Everyone's already here."  
  
"Ah…Hai."  
  
They hung up. Sakuragi grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head as he rushed to Rukawa's dorm room.  
  
When he got there, he could see some Ryonan, Shoyo and Kainan players crowding outside the door. They gave way to him when they saw he was a Shohoku player.  
  
Mitsui, Akagi, Ryota, Ayako and Yasuda were already inside, crowding around Rukawa's bed. Saemi was checking his temperature.  
  
"It's poison." She said, staring at the thermometer. Sendoh pushed his way through the crowd and stood beside his sister.  
  
"I have the water." He said. He placed a gallon of distilled water on the bedside table.  
  
Saemi poured some in a cup and lifted Rukawa's head.  
  
"Kae-chan? Can you drink this?"  
  
He mumbled something no one understood, and then Saemi tipped the cup to his lips. He was sweating profusely and he was panting for breath.  
  
"How is he?" Akagi asked Saemi.  
  
"He needs plenty of fluids to flush out the poison. Water and fresh fruit juices. He can't eat anything. He'll be fine by tomorrow night or on the last day of camp because he's healthy. He also has fever." She had a blank look on her face and she was reciting what she said as if she were a computer.  
  
Akagi nodded gravely. Sendoh talked to Saemi softly.  
  
"I'm staying here with my sister." He said. "You can go back now."  
  
The other school players went back to their rooms. The Shohoku people and Sendoh stayed behind.  
  
"How was he poisoned?" Akagi asked, looking at Rukawa. He looked like he had trouble breathing. Saemi propped his head on some pillows and he began to breathe more normally.  
  
"I don't know." Saemi said. "Sabotage?"  
  
"At any rate we can't contact any of the schools." Mitsui said. "Or else we'll all get expelled if we don't catch the culprit."  
  
"But that's the right thing to do." Ayako said, frowning.  
  
"It's okay. Kae-chan can make it, he's really healthy and strong and all." Saemi said, checking her watch. "It's now 8:30. He needs a glass of water every half an hour, or every fifteen minutes if he can take it."  
  
"Okay. Why don't we do this in shifts?" Akagi said.  
  
"No. Basketball players, to bed." She answered. "Including you, 'niichan." She said softly, kissing him on the cheek. He frowned.  
  
"But, Saemi." He started.  
  
"No buts. Onegai, 'niichan?"  
  
"Well, I'll help then." Ayako said brightly. "So we'll have to switch rooms, Akagi, since you're room's right beside this one. Mine's at the end of the hall."  
  
He nodded, then they left to exchange rooms. Sendoh kissed Saemi on her forehead.  
  
"Don't fall asleep now." He said.  
  
"I won't." She whispered, sitting beside Rukawa's bed.  
  
He saluted and then left. Ayako arrived a few minutes later, holding a timer.  
  
"He's in for a rough night." Saemi said. "He'll be getting up a lot of times to relieve himself and drink water."  
  
"I hope he gets well soon." Ayako said, placing the wet towel Saemi had handed her on Rukawa's forehead.  
  
"Me, too."  
  
*  
  
Rukawa could hear voices murmuring around him, and a damp something on his forehead. He felt hot and stuffy, but cold at the same time.  
  
"He has cold sweats." A voice was saying. Saemi?  
  
"Cold sweats?"  
  
Ayako. They were the only ones there, then.  
  
"Yeah…and it's very uncomfortable and all."  
  
"Saemi…?" He murmured.  
  
"I'm here, Kae-chan."  
  
He felt her hand on top of his, and a little of his sickness washed away.  
  
"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" She asked.  
  
He semi-nodded, then he felt both girls lift him up.  
  
"Heavy." He heard Ayako grunt.  
  
Saemi was panting when he was at last standing up.  
  
"Ready for the challenge of doing this all night, Aya-chan?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
*  
  
The next day, Rukawa was feeling a little bit better. He even seriously considered sneaking out to play basketball.  
  
"NO!" Saemi had said, hands on hips. "And if it weren't for the fact that you had to go to the bathroom, I would chain you to the bed."  
  
Ayako was guarding the door like a watchdog. "Yeah, maybe tomorrow. And besides, I'm sure we'll have a good game with Kainan and Shoyo today even without you."  
  
"Kainan?!" Rukawa said. He was looking forward to that match.  
  
"Sorry, Kae-chan." Saemi said, pushing away his damp hair away from his face.  
  
He relaxed immediately. Oh, well…there was still the Inter High.  
  
"Look, you can still play tomorrow." Ayako pointed out. "Against Ryonan."  
  
"Uh huh." Saemi said, smiling.  
  
Rukawa pretended he was disappointed but he wasn't, actually. Not with Saemi caressing his hair and voicing out her concerns about him.  
  
He decided that this whole sick Rukawa thing was okay except for the sick part.  
  
*  
  
"Alright! He's well enough to play Ryonan!" Sendoh exclaimed, eyeing Rukawa. Saemi was talking to Akagi and Kogure.  
  
Rukawa glared at him. "I'll beat you again."  
  
"Don't count on it."  
  
They practically had static electricity shooting out of their eyes.  
  
"You're only in on one half, Rukawa." Akagi said. "You choose."  
  
"First and last 10 minutes." He said at once, glowering at Sendoh.  
  
"I still don't think this is such a good idea." Saemi muttered.  
  
"Don't worry, Saemi-neko," Mitsui said patting her head.  
  
"I'm not a cat!" She said, glaring at him. He grinned.  
  
"They're at it again." Miyagi said, sweatdropping as Saemi countered with the usual Mitsui-inu.  
  
Kogure laughed.  
  
"Alright." Akagi was saying. "Let's go, team."  
  
The Shohoku team entered the court. Since there were no other students, only the Shohoku and Ryonan benches were cheering. And cheer they did, at the top of their lungs. Saemi was yelling at the Ryonan players to take it easy on Rukawa.  
  
The first 10 minutes finished, and Rukawa returned to the bench to the relief of the Ryonan players. The score was 18-10, Shohoku. (With the help of Saemi)  
  
Ryonan caught up with Shohoku but it kept its early lead. By the end of the first half, Ryonan and Shohoku were tied. Sendoh went over to Maki and asked him to take her to the all you can eat ice cream stand outside to keep her from distracting the Ryonan players during the last half. He agreed.  
  
Rukawa was asked back in the court a minute before he was due. Shohoku had the lead. Sakuragi rebounded and passed it to Mitsui. Mitsui dribbled and passed it to Miyagi. He passed to Rukawa, who made a three point shot.  
  
Sendoh retaliated with a three pointer, too, and both teams were on fire. Rukawa dribbled and passed Sendoh, but was blocked by Uozomi. He threw the ball between his legs and hoped one of his teammates were there.  
  
Sakuragi got the ball but Fukuda stole it from him, he began dribbling all the way to the other court but Miyagi caught up with him. Miyagi held him off until the Shohoku players came and gave him back up.  
  
Fukuda passed to Sendoh but it was intercepted by Akagi. He threw it yelling Swift Attack while Miyagi ran, but it was Sendoh who got the ball. This went on for a few minutes and neither scored. The score was 88-83, Shohoku.  
  
Sakuragi fouled Fukuda by kicking him on the shin. Both his free throws went in. The score was 88-85, Shohoku.  
  
Shohoku in possession. Miyagi passed to Rukawa, who was being guarded by Sendoh. Sendoh stole the ball by dribbling it between Rukawa's legs and passing it in that way to Fukuda. He ran while Sendoh chased after him.  
  
Ryota was too late, he didn't get to Fukuda on time. The ball went in, 88- 87.  
  
The seconds ticked by, and at the last minute, the score was 105-103, Shohoku.  
  
Ryonan in possession. Sendoh was hogging the ball, and he tried to shoot a three pointer. It bounced off the ring. Rebounded by Sakuragi.  
  
The Shohoku players chased after Sakuragi. 32 seconds left. He passed it to Miyagi, but Sendoh intercepted. He dribbled the ball between his legs and ran like hell to their end of the court. Rukawa was on his heels.  
  
15 seconds left. Saemi appeared with Maki. Maki stared at the Ryonan players who were passing the ball to each other furiously. 5 seconds left.  
  
Sendoh got the ball. He was free. He shot the ball outside the three pointer line, but he slipped on his shoelace and stepped in the line. The ball went in.  
  
The gym erupted in cheers after the shrill whistle sounded. The game was a tie, 105-105.  
  
"Do you want an overtime?" Maki asked, jogging over to them.  
  
"NO." Everyone said at once.  
  
Maki smiled.  
  
"So you'd rather leave it a draw than lose, eh?"  
  
Saemi smiled. "Congratulations, everybody!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
They partied the rest of the day and they went home after that. Everyone was in high spirits as they laughed and talk all the way home.  
  
"See you on Saturday!" Nobu-kun called to Sendoh and Saemi.  
  
"Hai!" Sendoh said.  
  
Saemi was talking to Rukawa about his medications and etc. He was sweatdropping as she recited the times and days he had to take this and that medicine, this and that fruit juice and his basketball schedules.  
  
"Remember, only thirty minutes a day until next Wednesday. You need a full week, then you're okay."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Well, take care." She said, smiling. "Ja."  
  
"Ja."  
  
*  
  
"I already have tickets for your play." Sendoh said, waving them at Saemi's face.  
  
"Hey, those are front row seats. How many people did you beat up to get those?"  
  
"Oh, just the teacher." He replied, winking.  
  
"You DIDN'T!"  
  
"Of course not. And I noticed you and your Kae-chan are getting along well."  
  
"Ahem."  
  
"Hee, hee…I think the late bloomer is finally blooming."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"It's just something to think about. Anyway, what are you getting Nobu-kun for his birthday?"  
  
"Uh…I dunno. I was thinking of a personalized pen. The Cross Morph thing."  
  
"I got him a shirt. An expensive one, mind."  
  
Saemi shrugged. "I don't care. I wouldn't be invited if you weren't my brother anyway. And you wouldn't be invited if you didn't know Maki."  
  
Sendoh yawned. "Well…anyway. I'm sure glad that you're doing fine in the play. You were VERY hard to teach."  
  
"And you were a great teacher."  
  
"You have to promise to get that I love you scene right. We've been practicing and practicing that for weeks and you still raise your eyebrow a little when you say it."  
  
"Don't remind me. Anyway, the auditorium or whatever you call it is huge and it's gonna be dark so no one can see."  
  
"Your eyebrow's not the only problem. Your voice is, too."  
  
Saemi grinned. "Why? Is it because I'm trying not to laugh?"  
  
"Uh huh." Her brother said. "When you say those words you have to say it with all sincerity and from the bottom of your heart even if it's just a play."  
  
She thought about it. "Well, I'll try."  
  
"Try thinking that Rukawa's the prince."  
  
"But he's not." Saemi said flatly.  
  
"Imagine."  
  
*  
  
That night, Saemi lay awake thinking of Rukawa.  
  
"Am I really falling for him?" She said aloud.  
  
Maybe.  
  
Just Maybe.  
  
*  
  
Hmmm…is it okay? Well, see you next chapter. Bye! (wave, wave) Hey, about the prequel…tell me if u want it, ok? THANKS!!! 


	8. Eight

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chappy is dedicated to Gin2, Sy, super rookie, cookies, J.L., rurouni, jeano, E.C., SeraphAngel aaaaand Nellie! Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! It's Cinderella time! : )  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Eight  
  
Rukawa pressed the doorbell for the second time. He peeked at the window beside the door to make sure they were in there. He could see Sendoh and Saemi arguing and Maki shrugging in the middle. Finally, Saemi stood up from the couch.  
  
He waited for a few seconds and then Saemi opened the door.  
  
"Kae-chan!" Her face lit up when she saw him.  
  
She looked sexy, with her cool flare (flair?) pants and halter top. He tried not to stare too much as he greeted her.  
  
"Who did you think I was?" He asked.  
  
"No one in particular…" She said, looking away. "C'mon in."  
  
She stepped aside and let him through. Please, not Fujima again…  
  
Rukawa walked inside and saw Sendoh and Maki grinning at him. He raised an eyebrow at their weird behavior.  
  
"Saemi…why don't you go up to your room for a moment or something? We want to talk to the rookie here." Sendoh said casually. "Oh, you can stay in my room and play the PS2."  
  
"Alright!" She said happily, going up the stairs. "I can finish Final Fantasy Ten at last!"  
  
She went up the stairs, and Rukawa tried to look away at her bare back but couldn't.  
  
"Yo, Rukawa, we have to talk." Sendoh said.  
  
"Man to man to man." Maki added.  
  
"Sure."  
  
*  
  
"Do you have a crush on Saemi?" Sendoh asked.  
  
Rukawa froze. "What."  
  
"Just answer the question." Maki said.  
  
Rukawa glared at the two of them.  
  
"So what if I do." He said flatly.  
  
"We." Sendoh said, pointing to himself and Maki. "Want to set you up."  
  
"Why."  
  
"Because it's obvious that she---"  
  
"Sendoh!" Maki interrupted.  
  
The Ryonan ace grinned. "Sorry. I mean, because we really like you and we want you and Saemi to end up together."  
  
"Doaho."  
  
"It's true. I mean, try to observe her around you. Let's see…she cares about you and blah, blah, blah…"  
  
Rukawa stared.  
  
"WILL YOU STOP BEING SO DENSE?!" Sendoh half-yelled.  
  
"Sendoh." Maki said in a warning tone.  
  
Sendoh cleared his throat and grinned apologetically.  
  
"Look, I know my sister and she's ga-ga over you. Only it's not that developed yet. This is the first time in history this is gonna happen, and it has to. Now will you please tell me if you are in favor of this idea?"  
  
Rukawa tried to keep his face straight. "Uh..."  
  
"Okay, here's what you do…we'll badger her about Fujima, and she sees you as an escape route…then you do this to her…"  
  
Maki bopped Sendoh on the head. "They're only FRESHMEN for heaven's sake."  
  
"Rukawa." Maki said. "I think it is wiser to start from the beginning. Tell her your true feelings."  
  
The pale boy was confused. "Huh?"  
  
"Tell her you like her DUH!" Sendoh's veins were practically popping out.  
  
"Sorry. He's a little overexcited." Maki said.  
  
"Demo, Fujima..." Rukawa started.  
  
"Don't worry about him. He and Saemi don't have a relationship. They're just friends."  
  
"She…" Rukawa started again.  
  
"I know, I know." Sendoh said. "She keeps telling you that, too, but you don't quite believe her."  
  
"How come you know?"  
  
"I dunno, I guessed it."  
  
Rukawa rolled his eyes.  
  
"Ask her if you want." Sendoh said.  
  
"I'll go call her, and we can go to the party." Maki said, checking his watch and going up the steps.  
  
"Ne, Rukawa." Sendoh said, placing an arm over his shoulder. "If you need help, just call me, okay?"  
  
"Hai." Rukawa answered skeptically.  
  
*  
  
Saemi was having trouble controlling her feelings as Rukawa held her hand. She was on the verge of telling him that she was uncomfortable around him unlike before and she didn't know why.  
  
But she couldn't.  
  
And she couldn't tell Sendoh either. He was just gonna mistake her feelings as symptoms of love. Not again.  
  
When she was taking care of Rukawa that camp night, she realized that he had also always been there for her…that he was there through the tough times, and that he had comforted her a lot when they were in junior high and everyone was spreading rumors about her and she wasn't as pretty and self confident as she was now.  
  
He had been a good friend and a nice companion. She remembered him going out of his way to make her feel like she counted. That he had cared.  
  
She realized that she was staring at him when he spoke.  
  
"What is it?" He asked gently. She blushed.  
  
"Oh, nothing." She smiled to cover up what she had been thinking about him and pulled him to the dance floor.  
  
"Wanna dance?"  
  
"I'd rather not, but if you want to…"  
  
"I want to." She smiled and Rukawa wrapped his arms around her. She felt 'that special feeling' instantly.  
  
His hand was resting slightly on the small of her back, and his other hand was holding hers. Saemi reached Rukawa's chin, which he had rested on top of her head. She felt a warm tingling feeling.  
  
'I can't believe it.' She thought sulkily. 'I may be in love with this guy.'  
  
*  
  
Rukawa felt like he was on top of the world. It was okay to him if he died now. If he did, he would rest in peace in the arms of an angel.  
  
They were barely moving, but they both didn't care.  
  
'I love you, Saemi.' He thought. 'I CAN'T SAY IT!!!'  
  
*  
  
"Don't you dare disturb them, Fujima." Sendoh said, watching the Shoyo player eyeing his sister and her date.  
  
"Please? I can't stand it!" Fujima said, waving his arms comically.  
  
"No." Chibi Sendoh said.  
  
"I'm so jealous!!!" Fujima said. Maki dragged both of them to the back of the party and bopped them both on the head.  
  
"Stop looking at them." He said, but he was trying to look, too.  
  
"Not in her genes to fall in love, huh?" Sendoh said, grinning.  
  
"Well, once it comes, it comes. Hurray for Rukawa."  
  
Sendoh just grinned.  
  
*  
  
"Saemi." Rukawa said softly.  
  
"Hai, Kae-chan?"  
  
"Don't get mad."  
  
"Why?" She looked up into his eyes.  
  
"If I ask you…not to fall in love yet." He mumbled.  
  
They were silent for a moment.  
  
"Not to fall in love yet?" She asked. "That's weird."  
  
"Ah." He grunted.  
  
"Not even with you?" Saemi teased. "What's gotten into you anyway?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
"Alright." She laughed. "You're so funny sometimes, Kae-chan."  
  
"Promise? With anybody?"  
  
"I Promise."  
  
She smiled and they continued to dance.  
  
'I'm such a liar…because I'm in love with you.' Saemi thought sadly, when Rukawa wasn't looking.  
  
*  
  
  
  
"Alright, guys. It's show time." The lit. teacher said, clasping his hands. "One more hour. I bet you're all excited."  
  
Saemi rolled her eyes. So much for being excited.  
  
Her eyes went over to Rukawa, who was staring at the leg cast he was supposed to be wearing. She smiled to herself.  
  
'Good luck, Kae-chan.'  
  
"Where's Ken?" One of her classmates asked. "He's not here yet."  
  
"I'm here." Came a disappointed voice. Ken appeared wearing a cast and head bandages.  
  
"You're injured!" The lit. teacher cried, rushing over to Ken.  
  
The students crowded around him. He looked exactly like the character Rukawa was supposed to be portraying. The teacher looked at Ken, then Rukawa, then back again.  
  
"That's it! Trade roles." He said, handing Rukawa the prince's costume. He looked a little surprised.  
  
"What?!" Saemi said, her mouth hanging open. How could the teacher pair her with her first crush?  
  
"We don't have a choice, Ms. Sendoh. Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Rukawa will do fine."  
  
The teacher ushered Rukawa to the dressing room with a script.  
  
'I'll be doing that I love you scene with Rukawa…' She thought, thinking back at Sendoh's words.  
  
With all my heart. With all sincerity.  
  
Even if it's just a play…  
  
*  
  
The lights dimmed as the curtain rose, revealing the first set of Cinderella. Ken was lying on the cot, playing dead. Which wasn't so hard.  
  
Sendoh elbowed Maki when Saemi appeared onstage.  
  
"Outosan…" She was sobbing.  
  
"Look, she's actually crying." Maki whispered.  
  
"I told her to imagine YOU dead." Sendoh whispered back.  
  
Maki glared at him. "Thanks a lot." He said sarcastically.  
  
"Rukawa looks weird onstage." Sendoh said.  
  
"That's him? The dad?" Maki said in a low voice. "Impossible. What weird hair."  
  
Onstage, the backdrop changed and the stepmother/sisters scene took place.  
  
After that, the fairy godmother scene, and then the prince appeared.  
  
"RUKAWA?!" Sendoh's jaw dropped. Maki was completely shocked, too. They had both been slumping in their seats to make sure the people behind them could see, but now they were sitting up straight. A little girl behind them complained and they slumped back again, startled.  
  
Rukawa was garbling on and on in a language they didn't understand. He looked ready to mutter 'K'so' after every sentence.  
  
And then the dance scene came.  
  
Saemi felt her heart beating. She was in the arms of her prince, whom she had fallen in love with as soon as she had laid her eyes on him. Rukawa was looking into her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, the clock started ringing.  
  
'Damn clock.' Saemi thought, irritated. She pushed Rukawa away gently.  
  
"I'm sorry, my prince. I truly love you, but I must go." She choked.  
  
She was crying. She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks.  
  
'Thank God I refuse to wear make up.' She thought to herself.  
  
"Don't go." Rukawa said. She turned from him and ran like she was supposed to.  
  
How can I tell you I love you? How can I tell you what I really feel?  
  
She could feel more tears on her cheeks. 'Am I supposed to cry? I'm ruining the play!'  
  
She had forgotten about the shoe thing when one of the heels caught on a stair and she tripped--for real.  
  
She fell flat on her face. 'Ow…'  
  
"Sae—nderella." Rukawa said, rushing down the steps to see if she was okay.  
  
"Don't come near!" Saemi said, panicking. This was definitely not part of the script.  
  
'God, I broke my ankle!!!'  
  
"My prince, I love you dearly but I cannot stay. I'm not worthy of your love and never will be."  
  
*  
  
Rukawa stared at Saemi. Her eyes were saying, "Improvise, you idiot! And hurry up!"  
  
"Cinderella. I love you." He said lamely.  
  
"No!" She said, backing away. She was using her hands instead of her feet to push herself from him. He had a sinking feeling about what had happened after she fell.  
  
"You won't be happy with me, because I'm, because I'm just…"  
  
Tears filled her eyes. "Because I'm not who you think I am." She whispered. The audience was hanging on her every word since they hadn't heard this before.  
  
She forced herself to stand up. Rukawa could see the pain and determination in her eyes.  
  
"I'm not anyone special. I'm not anyone who can do great things that others can. I'm not like you. You're a prince. Beside you, I'm nothing. All I have is my love for you."  
  
She swallowed.  
  
Think, think, Rukawa.  
  
"Cinderella, I love you because of who you are, not what you have." Rukawa said softly.  
  
"I love you because you're you, and there isn't anybody in the world who can ever take your place."  
  
It was the longest speech he had ever made in his entire life. And he meant every word of it.  
  
He held her hands and knelt before her.  
  
"Cinderella. Will you marry me?"  
  
*  
  
"Cinderella. Will you marry me?"  
  
Saemi was shocked. She felt the tears come again. That was her problem. She could never stop herself from crying. She showed her real emotions, and if these weren't emotions, she didn't know what they were.  
  
She looked into Rukawa's eyes.  
  
"Yes, my prince. I love you."  
  
He stood up and hugged her. Then-she couldn't believe it-he lifted her in his arms and kissed her forehead. Then he carried her all the way back to the castle and backstage.  
  
The narrator's voice filled the auditorium. "And so, Cinderella and the prince got married…"  
  
"Daijobu?" Rukawa asked, lifting Saemi's long skirt a little and inspecting her ankle.  
  
"Is it serious?" Ken asked. The lit. teacher was crying at Rukawa and Saemi's ending.  
  
"No." Rukawa said. He massaged it a little and Saemi felt better.  
  
"Cool ending!" Ken said.  
  
"You were great, Kae-chan." Saemi said. His lips twitched just a little.  
  
"Can you walk now, Saemi-kun?" One of their classmates asked. Rukawa held her hand as she stood up.  
  
"Yes… I'm okay now. Thanks, Kae-chan."  
  
He nodded once.  
  
The narrator was now calling the cast for the bow. One by one, the whole class lined up.  
  
"Rukawa Kaeda, the prince."  
  
There was a burst of loud applause and the familiar chants of RUKAWA! RUKAWA!  
  
L-O-V-E RUKAWA!  
  
"and last, but definitely not the least, Sendoh Saemi as Cinderella!"  
  
Saemi walked slowly and bowed with the rest of the class.  
  
The audience was giving them a standing ovation. Sendoh and Maki showered Saemi with flower petals and confetti. Fujima was smiling silently.  
  
She smiled at her brother, then stole a glance at Rukawa. Their eyes met. She smiled. He just cocked his head to the side in reply.  
  
'Kae-chan…'  
  
*  
  
Well, that's it! Sorry if it was lame but I'm not good at love scenes. That's why I'm trying to practice… anyway, review what you think, PLEASE! Flames/Criticisms all welcome. : ) See you in the next chappy! 


	9. Nine

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chappy is dedicated to everyone who reviewed. I love all of you!!!  
  
Nellie-it's the kiss! He he.  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Nine  
  
"I knew it!" Sendoh said, grinning. Saemi had admitted that she was afraid of the dark sometimes. But not after a round of truth or dare.  
  
"Don't rub it in." She said. Maki just smiled.  
  
"Anyway, we're going out." Sendoh said, grabbing his jacket. "If Fujima comes, tell him to wait here. We'll be right back."  
  
"Okay." She agreed. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To the supermarket." He said. "The ref is suffering from drought and famine because a certain 'growing young lady' emptied it up."  
  
Saemi smiled at him innocently. "Who, me?"  
  
"Yes you. Well bye." He gave her a flying kiss and headed out the door. Maki followed. "Take care of yourself, Saemi. Don't let any strangers in." He said.  
  
"Maki! She's old enough to know that." Sendoh said, rolling his eyes. Saemi smiled.  
  
They exited the house together.  
  
Saemi stretched and sprawled on the couch leisurely. She was watching an action movie when the doorbell rang. She popped a VHS into the VCR to record whatever she was gonna miss and dashed to the door. She peeked through the window and found Fujima waving at her.  
  
She opened the door for him and ran back to the TV at top speed. Fujima laughed.  
  
"Whoa, Saemi. You should enter the Guinness Book of World Records."  
  
Saemi smiled and continued to watch TV. About an hour later, it finished and the ending credits appeared onscreen. Saemi switched the channel but there was nothing good on TV. Fujima got the remote and switched it to a basketball game.  
  
"Not again." Saemi muttered, looking at him. She was surprised that he wasn't paying attention to the TV and was looking at her.  
  
"Saemi…" He said. "I…"  
  
He leaned over to her, and before she could find out what he was doing his lips were already on hers.  
  
*  
  
Rukawa was about to press the doorbell when what he saw through the small window beside the door made his heart stop. No kidding.  
  
He took a step back, eyes wide, and registered what he had seen.  
  
Saemi and Fujima. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.  
  
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't know what to do. He turned around and kicked the nearest thing he could—the mailbox.  
  
So much for coming over now and confessing to her his true feelings. He had never been so hurt in his whole entire life.  
  
All along he had thought that she and him, that 'they' could BE, but here she was, mashing her face with someone she called 'just a friend.' If he were 'just a friend,' what did she do to people who were more than 'just a friend?'  
  
He felt like his chest was burning and all he could see was red.  
  
She tricked him. She lied to him. She had toyed with his feelings and probably enjoyed doing it. He had seen her as this great girl who was true to herself and to others, but she blurred his vision by doing…well, by doing THIS.  
  
Just a few days ago she had been in his arms. She had told him how much she had cared for him but didn't know how to call it yet.  
  
Promising that she wouldn't fall in love with anybody before he confessed to her his feelings.  
  
He had been a fool to believe her. With his back turned around she was with that Kenji, and who knows with all the other boys around. Maybe this was the real Saemi he never knew.  
  
He was both hurt and angry. He was blinded by his emotions and didn't even feel the need to get an explanation. He just didn't know anymore.  
  
'How could you do this to me?' He thought, angrily, getting on his bike and riding all the way home furiously.  
  
I hate you.  
  
He was only thinking of those three words all the way home, but deep in his heart, a deep wound was forming.  
  
Because no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, he still loved her.  
  
*  
  
Saemi was too shocked to do anything. Finally, she gathered her wits and pushed Kenji away.  
  
"Fu---Ken---Ji---Ma---" She stammered. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"  
  
"I'm sorry." He said lamely. "I…I just couldn't help it."  
  
She sighed. 'Calm down, Saemi. Relax, Saemi. Don't kill him yet.'  
  
"Forget it. And I mean forget it. This never happened."  
  
He nodded, sighing. "I love you." He looked away.  
  
"I know! You say that at least a hundred times everyday!" She wanted to say that, but she knew it wouldn't help a bit. So she said instead,  
  
"Please, Fujima. We've talked this over. Forget about me because we just can't work this relationship out. I don't have your feelings for me."  
  
"I know." He sighed.  
  
'At least no one saw us.' She thought. 'Especially Kae-chan.'  
  
Sendoh suddenly appeared in front of them with a "TA-DA!"  
  
Saemi almost jumped out of her skin in shock. "HOW did you get in here?"  
  
"It's called a key." Her brother said, waving it in front of her face.  
  
Maki followed, holding shopping bags and shopping bags and shopping bags.  
  
"Due to your brother's insistence, we bought the whole store." He said, sitting on one of the couch arms.  
  
Saemi forced a smile. "Really, now?"  
  
"Of course not." Sendoh said. "What's up with you, Fuj?"  
  
"Nothing. I gotta go." He said, grabbing his jacket.  
  
Sendoh shrugged, then turned to Saemi.  
  
"You know, all throughout the trip to the supermarket, I was contemplating—"  
  
"Contemplating?" Saemi asked jokingly.  
  
"Uh huh. I have come to the conclusion that you are in love with a certain young big headed pest named Rukawa Kaede, which if it weren't for him we would be the ones going to the Inter---"  
  
"Get on with it." Maki interrupted.  
  
"Alright. Saemi, tell us the truth, please." Sendoh said, looking into her eyes.  
  
"Are you in love with him?"  
  
She looked away. "I think so."  
  
Sendoh smiled. "I want a yes or a no."  
  
"Yes.." Saemi said, blushing.  
  
"Yahoo!" He said. "It's time for a celebration!"  
  
Maki rolled his eyes and muttered something like, extremely childish brat.  
  
"Are you gonna tell him, Saemi?" Maki asked.  
  
She nodded. "He has to know."  
  
"Tell him as soon as you can." Sendoh said, grinning. "To get it over with."  
  
"Alright. I'll tell him sometime next week, since he's leaving for the Inter High next next week, right?"  
  
"Yup. Next week is the only chance for you to tell him if you want to, since you're going to Ryonan next school year."  
  
Saemi bit her lip. She had forgotten all about that.  
  
"Why'd she go to Shohoku again?" Sendoh asked.  
  
"Because of the scholarship! And it's only applicable to freshmen." Maki said, irritated. "And you call yourself her brother."  
  
They started to argue but Saemi wasn't listening. How can she tell him how she felt about him? And if she did, what would his reaction be?  
  
*  
  
The next day in school, Rukawa didn't attend any of the morning classes. Saemi was disappointed.  
  
'Did he skip today?' She thought. 'Of all the days he could skip, he decided to skip today.'  
  
She went up to the roof during lunch time and found him wide awake, staring up at the sky.  
  
"Ohayo, Kae-chan."  
  
He didn't reply. He didn't even acknowledge her presence.  
  
Saemi frowned. He wasn't usually like this. Usually he would talk to her, even if it was just a short conversation, a semi-nod or two.  
  
But he had never been like this.  
  
"Kae-chan?"  
  
He was ignoring her, just like that. He was just sitting, or, rather, lying there, staring at the sky as if it held all the answers to his problems.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
He wasn't budging an inch, even when Saemi leaned over to him and frowned outright in his face. She was waving a hand in his face frantically.  
  
'What's wrong with him?'  
  
She was going to tap him on the shoulder when he caught her hand and stood up.  
  
"Don't touch me." He said coldly.  
  
He turned to leave.  
  
"What?" Saemi asked, her brows furrowing. She watched as he went down the steps slowly.  
  
What did she do to get him mad?  
  
'I'm skipping.' She thought, gathering her things. 'To hell with school.'  
  
*  
  
Rukawa didn't even care that Saemi skipped all of the afternoon classes. Okay, well, he did care. A bit.  
  
But all in all he was still hurt because of what had happened between her and Fujima. It was still vivid in his mind, and he had even dubbed it as 'The Kiss.'  
  
He attended all his afternoon classes and even copied down the notes. He was thinking of Saemi because she wouldn't want to miss any of the notes. So he copied them for her.  
  
That afternoon's notes were the only ones he had taken so far for the whole school year and he was surprised that all his notebooks looked brand new.  
  
While he was copying absently, he was wondering how long it would take for him to get over this whole thing.  
  
'A week or two?' He thought. 'A decade?'  
  
On second thought, he didn't want to think about it. If he didn't think about it, maybe he would forget about it faster.  
  
He was in a bad mood when he went to basketball practice that afternoon that even Akagi in all his monstrous glory kept away from him.  
  
'SHE' didn't go to practice. She was probably with her beloved Fujima at that moment. Whenever he thought about it, he missed a couple of shots.  
  
A couple? More like a dozen.  
  
He glared at whoever tried to talk to him, and he shut up the whole time. Akagi commented that he was getting worse than Sakuragi and got a glare and a half. This went on for a couple more days and his life was miserable as this went on.  
  
*  
  
"Okay, let me get this straight…you now admit you are in love with Rukawa, and you want to tell him but he won't talk to you." Sendoh said.  
  
Saemi nodded.  
  
"You kids are so unpredictable." Maki said, opening a can of Coke. The contents fizzed and spilled on his shorts.  
  
"I don't know…did you do anything to make him mad?" Sendoh asked.  
  
Saemi shook her head.  
  
"Er, well…this has never happened to me before. I don't fall for a girl and then retreat when she falls for me. That rookie is so weird." Sendoh frowned. "I'm not sure. Maybe we should talk to Rukawa."  
  
"Is that a good idea?" Maki asked.  
  
"No, but anyway…it's worth a try."  
  
"Yeah, and we'd better clear this up before the Inter High. Or you might not see each other again for a long time…"  
  
"Well, let's see…for now, you should go to sleep. I'm sure you're kind of tired."  
  
Saemi nodded and trudged up the steps heavily.  
  
"This is the first time I've seen her like that." Sendoh told Maki.  
  
"Don't look at me." He replied. "This is the first time I've seen her like that, too."  
  
Sendoh sighed. "Were we like that when we were freshmen? I don't understand at all."  
  
"I don't understand it either. But I guess I can talk to Rukawa in the Inter High if this mess reaches that long."  
  
"Hopefully it won't."  
  
"Hopefully."  
  
*  
  
End of the chapter…Pls. review what you think. Ta Ta! ^_~ 


	10. Ten

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: This chappy is dedicated to all those who reviewed. I would like to thank you for reading my fic, thank you very much!!! I love you all!!!  
  
Ruriko: You're too flattering! (blush) My head's gonna grow big and it won't fit through the door anymore hehe. : )  
  
Princess Ren: On my way to reviewing your fic!!! : ) Make them longer, onegai!!!  
  
Jackie (weird name, girl what-hana? Where'd you get it? : )): I KNOW FUJ'S HAIR IS BROWN!!! PLS! STOP MOCKING ME, PEOPLE!!!!! Especially to eggs out there. : )  
  
Linlin: Thank you! (that is if you're still reading this)  
  
Rurouni" PLEASE continue your fic!! Onegai!!!(Time Heals All Wounds) I'm sorta addicted to it… : ) Don't worry, Fuj's gonna have his chance with Saemi (Woops…Spoiler. Quiet, Gin2! P.S. She's my classmate so she knows what's gonna happen : ) )  
  
Gin2: Agh! Stop bothering me to update more!!! You know what's gonna happen anyway!!! (I have until Chapter 15 in My Documents, btw. I am selfishly keeping all of them, no more e-mails to you! Nyahahahahaha) Rukawa was so kawaii yesterday (6/11) ha ha. I love him with all that blood on his face. (Me=Bad girl) : )  
  
SeraphAngel: Here's the next one! (TA-DA! : ))  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Ten.  
  
Rukawa dunked the ball angrily. He was in the school gym, practicing again. It was kind of late to be in school, he was sure, but he wanted something to keep his mind off 'The Kiss.'  
  
He dribbled the ball and imagined the toughest opponents he would face in the Inter High and pretended he was playing against them. He swerved to one side and another, dodging, weaving his way through the other players. He shot the ball.  
  
It went in, then bounced and rolled off the court. It landed beside a pair of shoes he knew well. Too well.  
  
He pretended he didn't see anyone else in the court and picked up the ball. He dribbled it and shot the ball again. It missed.  
  
It landed near her again. This time she picked it up.  
  
He continued ignoring her and went to one of the benches where his things were. It was raining hard outside, but he didn't care. He was going to walk home in that heavy downpour.  
  
He packed his things in his water proof duffel bag and grabbed his towel and water bottle. He swung his bag over his shoulder and was surprised she had already beaten him to the door.  
  
She was holding an umbrella, and that flame of determination he always saw whenever she wanted to do something was present in her eyes. He looked at her for a few moments with one hand on the door.  
  
"Why are you ignoring me?"  
  
He didn't answer, he just pushed the door open and went out.  
  
"Answer me." She said, also going out. She didn't even use her umbrella. The basketball looked big in her small hands.  
  
Rukawa didn't even turn around. Not until she heard her sobbing. He looked back at her and said coldly, "You kissed Fujima. I saw you."  
  
He stood there, waiting for her explanation. It didn't come. Comprehension flashed in her eyes briefly before she opened her mouth to speak.  
  
Rukawa looked into her eyes coldly. "You lied to me."  
  
"Kae-chan, I didn't. He---"  
  
"Liar."  
  
They were silent for a moment. Both of them were so wet in the rain. Finally, Saemi spoke.  
  
*  
  
"You're right. I lied to you. I promised you that I wouldn't fall in love with anyone, but before I even knew it, I was in love."  
  
She paused. Rukawa looked away.  
  
"You don't have to say anything else." He turned around and started to walk away.  
  
"No! Wait!" Saemi said, walking after him. "I have to tell you who I fell in love with."  
  
Rukawa stopped walking, but didn't turn around to face her.  
  
"I fell in love with someone who a lot of girls are after. Even my best friends like him. They all say he's good looking, and I think he is, too."  
  
She paused and swallowed.  
  
"But I don't love him because of that. I love him because through the years he had been there for me and made me feel special. He made me become the person I am now."  
  
"And I don't care if he doesn't love me. I don't care if he loves someone else. But I do care if he just ignores me and throws away the friendship we've built throughout the years."  
  
Finally, he turned around slightly.  
  
"Because the truth is, I love you, Kae-chan."  
  
*  
  
Rukawa just stared as she sat down on the curb and wept. His face softened a little and sat down next to her.  
  
The rain was showing no signs of letting up as he put an arm around her. She was trembling.  
  
"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I thought that…"  
  
He didn't finish his sentence. He stood up and walked away from her.  
  
*  
  
Saemi felt his hand around her. A brief second later, he was gone. She didn't even look up. She wished she could drown herself in the rain.  
  
She was crying softly. The rain was enveloping her in its coldness, its wetness. And then suddenly, it stopped. She looked up to see her umbrella and Rukawa's hand holding it for her.  
  
"Kae-chan?"  
  
"Gomenesai." He said, looking into her eyes.  
  
"Don't be."  
  
"I wanted to tell you…"  
  
"Tell me…?"  
  
He paused and held her hand. "You're the most important person in my life, and no one can ever take your place."  
  
She remembered what he had said in the play. Did he really mean it?  
  
"Saemi-kun. I love you, too."  
  
They both stared at each other for a few minutes.  
  
"Kae-chan?"  
  
"Saemi-kun?"  
  
"I don't know what to say." Saemi said, smiling.  
  
"Let's go home."  
  
He helped her up and they walked towards the train station, hand in hand.  
  
*  
  
"Yahoo! My sister has a boyfriend!" Sendoh said happily. "Alright! This is the happiest moment of my life!"  
  
Maki nodded in agreement. "But Rukawa didn't propose to her yet."  
  
"So? I'm sure he will. Or I'll skin him alive."  
  
The Kainan player sighed. "Where is Saemi anyway?"  
  
"Uh… taking a shower? Somewhere in her room. They were so drenched when they got here. They looked like drowned rats. And Rukawa even walked her home." Sendoh said.  
  
Maki grinned. "Yeah. But they looked real happy though. Even though Rukawa was glaring at you I'm sure he was bursting inside."  
  
"Uh huh. They were even holding hands. I say that's a start."  
  
Maki nodded.  
  
"And." Sendoh continued. "If they get married…"  
  
Maki sweatdropped. "Are you dreaming?"  
  
"Well, what if?"  
  
The two boys smiled at each other mischievously.  
  
*  
  
The Inter High was rolling around the corner, and pretty soon Rukawa would be leaving. He told Saemi he'd pick her up to watch a movie when he returns, and she agreed.  
  
She asked Sendoh to teach her how to play basketball while he was away. She got better at dribbling and blocking and stealing, but he decided she was just a lost case for shooting.  
  
Sendoh was barraging Rukawa to propose to Saemi, but both of them teamed up against him and told him to wait. Rukawa promised he'd do it 'when the right time comes,' which wasn't good enough for Sendoh.  
  
The day before the players from the Inter High came back, their friends planned a Welcome Home party for them, headed by Saemi, Sendoh, Haruko and other people from Kainan.  
  
"Why did you not want to go to the Inter High to watch again?" Sendoh asked as Saemi watched the games on TV.  
  
"I'd disturb him." She said, her eyes following the Rukawa on TV.  
  
"You won't. He'd feel better if you were there."  
  
"Nah. He looks good on TV, though." Saemi laughed.  
  
Sendoh rolled his eyes. "Kids." He muttered, exiting Saemi's room.  
  
Saemi just smiled.  
  
"Aren't you going to ask if he calls me every night?" She called after her brother.  
  
He was instantly back in her room.  
  
"Does he?" He asked curiously.  
  
"No." Saemi laughed. "But Tensai does to Haruko."  
  
"That red headed freak? Why do you call him Tensai anyway?"  
  
"He insists." She rolled over on her bed and laughed.  
  
"Baka." Sendoh said.  
  
"That's my trademark." Saemi grinned at him.  
  
"Well, your prince charming is gonna be back soon."  
  
He leaned over to her and asked, "Did he kiss you yet?"  
  
Saemi blushed. "NO! And I don't think he will."  
  
"But he has to."  
  
"Somewhere in the future, maybe."  
  
"I'll teach him how."  
  
"How? By kissing him yourself?"  
  
"You hentai!"  
  
"Don't you even dare think about it." Saemi teased. "Because he's mine." She giggled.  
  
Sendoh just rolled his eyes and patted her on the head.  
  
"Well, Saemi-neko, I'm sure he'll get the guts to kiss you."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
*  
  
(After the Inter High…)  
  
Saemi grinned as she saw Rukawa standing in front of his house. He was looking for something in his bag which he couldn't seem to find. She smiled at his back happily.  
  
'He's back! Whoopee.'  
  
He checked his pockets and scratched his head in confusion. Finally, he turned around and spotted a certain red head spying him from a bench in the park adjacent to his house. She turned around quickly and pretended to read a book when he saw her.  
  
'Saemi,' He thought. 'Thank God I lost that stupid key.'  
  
He walked over to her and looked at what she was reading from behind where she was sitting. She pretended not to notice him.  
  
"Saemi-kun." He said, taking the book away from her. She turned around and smiled at him.  
  
"Ohayo! Kae-chan."  
  
"Ohayo."  
  
"So how was it?" She asked, smiling.  
  
"I missed you." He said, looking away.  
  
"Really?" Saemi patted the space next to her and he sat down next to her.  
  
"Ah."  
  
They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments.  
  
"We have a party for you guys." Saemi said.  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Can you come?"  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Ok. It's a joint party for Kainan and Shohoku." She continued.  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Is that all you can say?"  
  
"Ah."  
  
Saemi grinned. "It's good that you're back. But I'm sure you're tired. Maybe I should leave you alone."  
  
"No."  
  
She laughed. "Well, I have to go, Kae-chan. See you at the party. My brother will call later."  
  
She stood up to leave.  
  
"Matte." Rukawa said, catching her wrist and pulling her to him.  
  
"I know. Take care, right?" She said.  
  
"No." He said. Then he leaned over and kissed her.  
  
*  
  
Sendoh grinned at Maki as they spied the reunited couple behind a lamp post.  
  
"They're kissing! Look!" Sendoh said, elbowing Maki.  
  
The Kainan player was staring at them, eyes wide.  
  
"Are you sure? I think my eyes are playing tricks on me."  
  
"How did they know how to kiss?" Sendoh asked aloud.  
  
"I think they watch too much TV."  
  
"Hey, they're breaking up!" Sendoh said, irritated. "That was like, so short."  
  
"But it's still a kiss." Maki said, grinning.  
  
Sendoh stood up to get a better view.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Maki hissed, pulling him back down.  
  
"I can't see that well." Sendoh explained.  
  
"You're a six foot plus for crying out loud." Maki said, exasperated.  
  
"Okaaay." Sendoh answered, rolling his eyes. Suddenly, someone kicked him and he toppled forward. Maki also fell and they lay sprawled on the road.  
  
"Maki-chan!!!! Oniichan!!!!!"  
  
"S…S…Saemi-chan!" Sendoh stammered.  
  
"What are you doing?!" She said, frowning.  
  
Rukawa was raising an eyebrow at them.  
  
"J…Just passing by." Maki said lamely.  
  
Saemi sweatdropped, irritated.  
  
"I know you better than that! You were looking at us."  
  
"Yeah, and it was a cool kiss, too, if it wasn't so…"  
  
"Shhh!" Maki said, clamping Sendoh's mouth shut.  
  
Saemi blushed indignantly.  
  
"We're sorry, Saemi." Maki said sheepishly.  
  
She sighed. "Oh, all right."  
  
Then she turned to her brother. "By the way, he proposed to me."  
  
Sendoh turned to Rukawa. He gave Sendoh a smug look.  
  
"No way! He's stealing my sister!"  
  
"Let's go home, guys." Maki said, dragging Sendoh with him.  
  
"Bye, Kae-chan."  
  
"Bye."  
  
She smiled at him. He waved and watched them until they disappeared from his sight.  
  
'I love you, Saemi.' He thought to himself. Then, probably for the first time in his entire life, he smiled.  
  
*  
  
Thanks for reading! Review what you think. And if you think that Saemi and Rukawa are gonna live happily ever after, think twice! Oops, spoiler… : ) anyway, I'm adding a new character next chappy.(still debating on whether Kogure or Mitsui's gonna get her, but most probably it's Kogure.) Thanks again guys! See you!!! : ) 


	11. Eleven

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: Thanks for all the reviews! Attention all Fujima fans…  
  
YES- He and Saemi WILL be a couple. (yup, yup)  
  
Actually, I'm planning on being mean to Rukawa  
  
I love Fujima too, so I certainly don't want him to turn out bad… : )  
  
I'm planning on a Fujima fic, to make it up for him. And yes, it has an OC. Wait for it, okay? Love you guys… : )  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Eleven  
  
Sendoh grinned to himself as he entered his house and continued all the way up to Saemi's room. He barged in like he usually did and found her—well, duh, watching TV.  
  
"Saemi-chan, I've got something to show you." He said, taking out a large pink and purple envelope from his pocket.  
  
"What…" She murmured, flipping to another channel. Sendoh sat down beside her.  
  
"THIS certain letter came from a certain best friend."  
  
The words were barely out of his mouth when Saemi was already on top of him.  
  
"AHHH!! Gimme, gimme, gimme!!!!!!"  
  
Sendoh laughed as his sister grabbed the letter and ripped it open eagerly. He thought it was natural since the two girls had barely spoken to each other for a year.  
  
"Kai-chan says to come to her house next Saturday for her birthday." Saemi said, reading the letter excitedly. "She just came back from the States and she's studying here for 2nd year!!!"  
  
"Where's she studying?" Sendoh asked, reading over her shoulder.  
  
"Shohoku." Saemi answered, disappointed.  
  
"That's ok. You're *boyfriend* can send you home." He smiled.  
  
She smiled too and sat down on the bed next to her brother. "Well, I'll have to call Kae-chan Kaede since Kaiyuki-chan's coming. Or I have to invent a new nickname for Kai-chan."  
  
"Ha! Shohoku'll be going down this year since I'm captain of Ryonan."  
  
"You can start training by deflating your egotistic windbag." Saemi laughed.  
  
"Not funny." He said, looking at the wall clock in Saemi's room. "Oh yeah, Maki is coming over a little later for some b-ball."  
  
"What's new?" His sister asked, placing the letter in her drawer.  
  
"Nothing. Anyway, he's going to that university with your friends. The one with the glasses and the three pointer guy."  
  
"Oh, Mitsui and Kogure."  
  
"Uh huh. They should cause quite a stir in the basketball world of university."  
  
"How about Fujima?"  
  
"He's going to this exclusive college or something. You know him, he's got the brains and all."  
  
"Oh. So you're the only one left in High School."  
  
"Yup. And you. And your Kaede or whatever you call him."  
  
"And Kaiyuki-chan."  
  
"And her."  
  
"Kaiyuki's coming back?" Maki asked, entering Saemi's room.  
  
"Yes." Saemi answered, smiling.  
  
"Oh, great. The prankster's revival." He said, sighing.  
  
Kaiyuki was a practical joker and her usual victim was Maki. She said she liked the way he turned red whenever she played a trick on him. She tried with Sendoh, but they all don't work on him.  
  
"I wonder if she's grown? She was really cute when she was still here." Sendoh said.  
  
"Yeah, she always looks like a movie star. But she sure doesn't act like one." Maki said. Sendoh nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"I can't wait to see her again." Saemi piped up.  
  
"Yeah, and you'd better see her everyday. You only have three weeks until school starts." Maki said.  
  
"Don't remind me." Sendoh groaned.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. You know that play we did last year? We're gonna do it again since the people loved it or whatever." Saemi said. "For charity this time."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We'll watch again."  
  
"Okay. Kae-chan will still be the prince."  
  
"Duh."  
  
Saemi smiled.  
  
"Anyway, I'm going over to Haruko's. She's organizing a party for the graduating people of the Shohoku basketball team."  
  
"Okay." Sendoh said.  
  
"Be home before ten." Maki added.  
  
"Maki!" Sendoh complained. "She's old enough!"  
  
"I'm just saying."  
  
"Bye, guys." Saemi said, grabbing her backpack and exiting the room.  
  
*  
  
"Saemi-kun! Come on in!" Haruko stepped aside and Saemi entered the Akagi house.  
  
"Hello, Haruko." She said, smiling.  
  
The brunette smiled in return and they went up to her room together.  
  
"How are you and Rukawa-kun?" She asked timidly as Saemi opened the door and gestured for her to go in first. She noticed that her friend was blushing when she asked the question.  
  
"So you still like him, huh?" Saemi asked quietly, looking away.  
  
Haruko turned red. "A bit. But don't worry about it." She shook her head.  
  
Saemi forced a smile and sat on the floor next to Ryota.  
  
"Saemi-neko!" He said when she sat down next to him.  
  
"What is this? Continuing the legacy of Mitsui-inu?" Saemi joked.  
  
"Hai!!!!"  
  
"Thank God I'm not going to Shohoku this year, then." She smiled.  
  
Ryota pretended to be hurt, and then Ayako entered the room.  
  
"Aya-chan!" Ryota said happily.  
  
"Hello! Glad to see you all." She also sat down on the floor.  
  
"The party's next Friday." Haruko said. "At my house. I've already got everything. Just invite as many people as you can."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"For now, let's have our own party!" Fuji and Matsui (hah! I know the name! I think) entered with boxes of pizza.  
  
They had a great time talking and laughing and eating and just being together. The mini party stretched on for hours and at ten Maki came over with Sendoh to pick Saemi up.  
  
"I TOLD you to go home before ten." He yelled over the loud music.  
  
"Sorry." Saemi said sheepishly as Sendoh rolled his eyes.  
  
"Rukawa called." Her brother said. "Said something I couldn't understand."  
  
"Okay." Saemi said. She went back in to say goodbye and left with the two basketball players.  
  
*  
  
(Friday afternoon, before the party)  
  
"What are you doing later, Yuki-chan?" Saemi asked, watching closely as the spider on TV spun a web. She flipped the channel lazily.  
  
"Nothing. I was thinking of inviting you to go to the movies, but there's nothing good to watch."  
  
"Oh, I see. Maybe you could go to a party with me." Saemi said.  
  
"Okay." Kaiyuki answered, brushing her golden curls slowly. "Is your boyfriend coming? I'd like to meet him."  
  
"You know him. That guy in junior high, the one who always sleeps?"  
  
"Him?!" Kaiyuki dropped her brush in surprise. "That cute guy who couldn't look at a girl without rolling his eyes? HOW did you do it?"  
  
Saemi laughed and told her the story.  
  
"Wow, that's so sweet. It sounds like something you watch in the movies, with the rain and all." She laughed, too.  
  
"Uh huh. We're meeting at the party. I'll introduce you to him."  
  
"You're so lucky, Saem. You have a guy already and I still don't." She frowned.  
  
"Why? You're very beautiful and intelligent and a lot of guys are courting you."  
  
"Maybe. But I just can't seem to find someone who's perfect."  
  
Saemi thought about it. "Maybe you'll meet someone at the party."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
The girls changed and got ready, and then Kaiyuki asked her chauffer to drive them to Haruko's house. Kaiyuki was extremely wealthy because she was the only daughter of a well known businessman.  
  
The party had already started when they got there, and Saemi saw a lot of familiar faces. Rukawa pulled her aside and gave her a little smile.  
  
"Hey, you're smiling." She said, giving him a kiss. Kaiyuki approached them and grinned.  
  
"Why, hello there, Kaede-kun."  
  
He turned to her and didn't say anything. They knew each other well, with Rukawa being one of those I-hate-girls boys and Kaiyuki being one of those I-hate-boys girls back then.  
  
Saemi smiled at both of them. "Is it okay if I introduce Yuki-chan to our friends first, Kae-chan?"  
  
"Ah," He said. He released her hand and went over to Sendoh and Maki, who were attempting to destroy someone else's life by putting Tabasco on one of the juice glasses.  
  
Saemi and Kaiyuki walked together to the buffet table. Saemi proceeded eating to her heart's content while Kaiyuki watched. Saemi introduced her to her friends as they went over to get their own snacks.  
  
A few minutes later, Saemi heard the familiar irritating voice of Mitsui calling her.  
  
"Saemi-neko!" He said, grinning. He strode over to her with Kogure.  
  
"Mitsui." Kaiyuki said, surprised. Mitsui looked at her with wide eyes.  
  
Both of them just stared at each other, shocked. And then they laughed.  
  
"As you already know, that's Mitsuinu. This is Kogure." Saemi said.  
  
"Um, hi." Kogure said shyly.  
  
"Hello." Kaiyuki managed to tear her eyes off Mitsui and smiled at Kogure.  
  
*  
  
Kogure felt as if he was melting. What was this feeling? When Kaiyuki smiled at him, he felt warm all over and a little dizzy.  
  
Mitsui and Kaiyuki were talking, and Saemi was eating again. Kogure asked himself whether he would ask Kaiyuki to dance or not.  
  
'Maybe later.' He thought, watching her as she threw back her golden curls and laughed. Mitsui had apparently asked her to dance because he led her to the dance floor a few seconds later.  
  
'But what's her relation with Mitsui?' He thought to himself. Maybe they were just friends. Yeah, that was it. Just friends.  
  
Then why did she look so comfortable in his arms?  
  
Kogure tried to look away but couldn't. He contented himself instead to thinking about asking Saemi to dance, but changed his mind because Rukawa might kill him.  
  
'Why am I so bad at this?' He thought to himself, sighing.  
  
*  
  
Kaiyuki looked at Mitsui's face and smiled. He looked better now that he wasn't a gangster anymore. She remembered the night they first met, last summer, and how they became friends…  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Kaiyuki walked cautiously into the dark night, clutching her bright orange school bag to her chest. It was already twelve midnight, and she was supposed to be at a sleepover but she thought about visiting Saemi who was sick at home.  
  
She was scared out of her wits but she still wanted to go to Saemi's house. Anyway, she reasoned to herself, it was only a few blocks away.  
  
She was only a block away from the Sendoh residence when someone grabbed her from behind and dragged her to a dark alley. She tried to scream, but her voice wouldn't come out. Silent tears were spilling down her face.  
  
"She looks rich to me." A guy with a scar on his face peered at her and grinned.  
  
"Yeah, miss…why don't you tell us your name so we can get your daddy to rescue you?"  
  
Kaiyuki looked around her. There were at least five guys, four of who were looking at her menacingly and one who looked doubtful. She looked pleadingly at the one with the doubtful face.  
  
"Guys, I don't think we should do this. She looks really young."  
  
"What is it, Mitsui? Scared?" The guy with a scar snarled.  
  
"No…it's just that…"  
  
"Then butt out." The guy with a scar glared at him and turned to Kaiyuki.  
  
"Help…" She croaked. Mitsui looked at her for a moment and punched the guy with a scar.  
  
She backed against the wall as the boys fought. Mitsui managed to knock all of them out. Kaiyuki was crying silently as Mitsui walked over to her. He was bruised and bleeding, his long hair was scattered and he looked messy.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, approaching her. Kaiyuki backed away from him and fell. He grabbed her wrist to keep her from falling, and instead of falling backwards she fell forward.  
  
She couldn't even gasp as Mitsui put an arm around her. She was too shocked to do anything.  
  
"What's your name?" He asked softly.  
  
"K…Kaiyuki." She managed to whisper.  
  
"Kaiyuki…I'm sorry." He stepped back into the light and she saw his face. He looked young, he could even be handsome if it weren't for his pale and gaunt expression. She was taken aback.  
  
"You…I thought…"  
  
"Shhh…" Mitsui said, gesturing for her to step forward. She did so, and he told her he would walk her home. She nodded and he walked with her to her classmate's house where the sleepover was.  
  
"Goodbye, Kaiyuki." He said blankly.  
  
"G…Goodbye."  
  
He left her standing at the doorstep without another word.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Kaiyuki…?" Mitsui said softly.  
  
"Hmmm?" Kaiyuki murmured, her head resting on Mitsui's shoulder.  
  
"Aren't you glad we met?"  
  
She looked into his eyes and smiled. Just like that…  
  
*  
  
Oki! End of the chapter. Pls. review what you think. : ) Thanks! I love you guys. Buh-bye!!! ^_^ 


	12. Twelve

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: Uh…I'm confused…anyway, it's a happy ending for Rukawa and Saemi fans but it's not a happy ending for Fujima. Because he's gonna ***.  
  
Sorry, people, I think I'm biased cause I like the Kaiyuki and Kogure better…. Hee hee.  
  
Thank you for everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it very much!!! Thank you all, love you guys… : )  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Twelve  
  
Kogure stood in front of Kaiyuki's house with his limousine. He was holding a bouquet of fresh roses in vast numbers. He waited a while before pressing the doorbell.  
  
A few seconds later, Kaiyuki appeared, looking smashing in a velvety blue evening gown which brought the color out of her eyes.  
  
"Kogure-kun," She said softly as he held out his arm to her. She took it, and they looked into each other's eyes for a few moments.  
  
"Good evening, Kaiyuki-chan." Kogure said, flashing a dazzling smile at the wonderful beauty in front of him.  
  
She smiled nervously, like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't.  
  
"Kogure-kun, I…"  
  
The words were barely out of her lips when she felt Kogure's on them.  
  
"I love you," He whispered, slipping a ring onto her finger. "And I won't take no for an answer."  
  
She smiled at him, relieved. "Kogure-kun, I love you, too. And I've kept it from you all this time."  
  
He placed a finger on her lips and smiled. "But now it's gonna be okay…"  
  
"Kogure…"She whispered as he wrapped his arms around her for another kiss...  
  
"Kogure…"  
  
"Kogure…"  
  
"KOGURE!!!"  
  
He jumped out of his seat, startled. He looked around to see his classmates with funny looks on their faces. The teacher was raising an eyebrow at him and tapping her foot.  
  
"Will you please tell me why I have to repeat your name five times before you snapped out of your trance?"  
  
"S…S…S…Sensei, I…"  
  
"No excuses. University is not an extended playground from High School. It is an important aspect in your life."  
  
She glared at the students in the room.  
  
"I want you all to prepare for a long quiz on Monday. Dismissed."  
  
The class gathered their things and left for their next subject. Mitsui went over to Kogure, a concerned look on his face.  
  
"Hey, bro, you okay?"  
  
Kogure shook his head. "I'm fine. Really."  
  
Mitsui nodded and they walked to their next class together.  
  
"Can you believe them? Yesterday we had a farewell party from the Shohoku people and now they're drilling us on University procedures. And every Saturday, too. Imagine doing THIS everyday since school starts next week. Plus it's Kaiyuki's birthday today."  
  
Kogure's head jerked as Mitsui mentioned Kaiyuki's name. "Today's Kaiyuki's birthday?"  
  
"Yeah. I was going to invite you to come but it slipped out of my mind. So you want to go?"  
  
"Of course I want to go." Kogure replied. "Listen, I'm going to go home first."  
  
Mitsui stared at him as if there were horns coming out of his head. "You're going to SKIP? No way!"  
  
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."  
  
Mitsui shook his head as Kogure exited the school doors.  
  
'He watches too much Rugrats.'  
  
*  
  
Saemi stared at the flimsy dress her best friend wanted her to wear for her birthday party.  
  
"Uh, isn't that a little too bare?" Saemi asked.  
  
Kaiyuki grinned. "C'mon. I want to see how many heads you turn tonight. My cousins are all going."  
  
"Those perverted freaks?" Saemi said. "And you want me to wear THAT?"  
  
"Please!" Kaiyuki said. "Okay, so it's kind of short and backless but it would look really good on you."  
  
"Yuki-chan," Saemi said. "You know how my stomach pops out whenever I eat too much."  
  
"Well, whenever you eat too much you get a little fat and then you run around a little and you're thin again. You're genes are weird. Like, hyper fast metabolism."  
  
"I don't want to wear that. Can't I wear something else?"  
  
Kaiyuki grinned. "Well, I do have some tube tops somewhere in my closet…"  
  
"You wouldn't!" Saemi said, eyes wide.  
  
"Oh yes I would. This purple dress or a pink tube."  
  
Saemi groaned. "That's blackmail."  
  
"I know." Kaiyuki said smugly. "Anyway you can wear tight shorts underneath… I have one that'll look good on you…"  
  
Saemi smiled and raised her arms. "I surrender."  
  
"You'd better. Now how about a little make up…"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Then you're not allowed to go anywhere near the buffet table…"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Take it or leave it."  
  
"Yuki-chan!!!"  
  
*  
  
Rukawa was the first one to arrive at Kaiyuki's house. Or thought he was, because there was a beautiful red head standing near the buffet table.  
  
His heart skipped a beat. He knew that he was already committed to Saemi, so he tried not to stare too much. He looked at her a little from the side. She had on light make up, a tight fitting purple dress and her hair was arranged in a French braid. She looked perfect.  
  
He coughed and the girl looked at him. Very familiar…  
  
"Kae-chan." She said happily.  
  
"Saemi?" Rukawa blinked.  
  
She smiled at him and Rukawa just looked at her. "You're so pretty." He said.  
  
"Aren't I always?" She grinned and stepped towards him. "Hey, you're blushing!!!"  
  
It was true. His cheeks were slightly reddish. Saemi traced the hot streaks on his face with a finger and giggled.  
  
Rukawa gave her the little smile he always had on his face when he saw her. Then he leaned towards her for a kiss.  
  
Their lips barely touched when someone pulled them apart.  
  
"Hello there, Rukawa!" Kaiyuki suddenly appeared between them.  
  
"Yuki-chan." Saemi said, smiling. Rukawa glared at the pretty blonde in front of him.  
  
"Sorry about that. I do get jealous too." She said simply. Then she pulled Saemi away from him and dragged her to the door. Rukawa watched as his angel followed her best friend helplessly.  
  
Sorry, she mouthed as she disappeared into the hallway. He sighed and sat on the couch.  
  
A few minutes later, he heard the voices of Mitsui and Saemi arguing, and then they appeared in the large living room. Kogure and Kaiyuki followed.  
  
"I am NOT a CAT!" Saemi said as Mitsui patted her head, grinning.  
  
Rukawa looked meaningfully at Mitsui and he instantly pulled his hand back as if he had just been electrocuted.  
  
Kogure was nervously eyeing Kaiyuki. He was holding a large box with silver wrappings in his hands.  
  
The doorbell rang, and Kaiyuki dragged Saemi with her to answer it.  
  
"Haruko-chan!" Rukawa heard Saemi exclaim.  
  
As soon as the room was full, the party started. Kaiyuki smiled as her guests enjoyed themselves. She watched one of her cousins wink at Saemi, who pretended not to notice. Rukawa was guarding her like a watch dog.  
  
'She's so lucky she has someone like Rukawa…' Kaiyuki thought, watching Saemi fix Rukawa's collar.  
  
'I wonder when I'll have someone special, too…?'  
  
*  
  
Kogure watched as Kaiyuki looked at Rukawa and Saemi, a small smile playing on her lips.  
  
'I wonder what she's thinking…?' He thought.  
  
He approached her and built up his courage to talk to her and ask her out. But what would he say?  
  
'Hey, Kaiyuki, I was wondering if you're free tomorrow.'  
  
'What is it, Kogure? Would you like to ask me out?'  
  
'How'd you know that?' He smiles. She giggles.  
  
'Because it's obvious from the way you're acting. So you'll pick me up at…?'  
  
'How about 7:30?'  
  
'That'd be great.'  
  
Maybe it could be as smooth as that… with a fire of determination burning in him, he went over to talk to her.  
  
She looked gorgeous in a body hugging chiffon dress and black boots. Her hair was tied in an elegant twist. She had on dangling earrings and pink lipstick. (I have no idea what that looks like, I am not interested in fashion)  
  
"K…Kaiyuki-ch…chan." Kogure stammered.  
  
"Oh, uh, hi." Kaiyuki said uncertainly.  
  
"H…Happy Birthday."  
  
"Thank you." She said, smiling. He swallowed. He felt dizzy again.  
  
"Um…I was, uh, wondering if you, er… wanted to, uh, dance?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, okay." She said. "Um, no offense, but, who are you?"  
  
Kogure wanted to bang his head on the wall, but resisted the urge. "I'm Kogure."  
  
"Oh, yes, I remember you." She said. "You're the one with Mitsui."  
  
It hit Kogure like a ton of bricks. Mitsui? Why was she always mentioning him?  
  
"Um, yeah."  
  
He sighed inwardly and decided to give up on her. He couldn't possibly compete with his friend, so this would be his first and last dance with Kaiyuki. Maybe.  
  
*  
  
Kaiyuki was surprised that when Kogure pulled her to him, she felt a warm tingle on the place he had touched her. This went on for a few minutes as they danced to a slow song.  
  
She looked into his eyes. He was taller than she was, but just a little. She felt good with him, felt good in his arms. Could it be…  
  
'I'm attracted to him,' She thought to herself. He was smiling at her, his hand on hers, and she felt a mixture of feelings she had never felt before.  
  
'I'm so excited! I have to tell Saemi…' Kaiyuki also smiled, but just then, the song ended.  
  
'What? Is it finished already?' She thought, wishing she had bought concert cd's so they wouldn't have pauses between the songs as Kogure released her from his arms and left with a smile.  
  
"Wait!" She wanted to say, but couldn't. She went to the buffet table instead to get a drink. Mitsui was there, too.  
  
"Hello, Kaiyuki." He said, smiling.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Wanna dance?" He asked.  
  
"No, I'm tired." She said, wiping imaginary sweat from her forehead for emphasis.  
  
"Oh, ok." He said, disappointed. Saemi approached them happily, followed by Rukawa.  
  
"I just can't get enough of this." Saemi said, sipping on a root beer malt.  
  
"You can finish all of them if you like." Kaiyuki said, smiling.  
  
"Of course I will." Saemi smiled back.  
  
Kaiyuki looked at the guests and saw Kogure dancing with a girl with black hair. She tried not to look but she couldn't tear her eyes away from them.  
  
"Kaiyuki?" Mitsui said, snapping her back to reality.  
  
"Oh, uh, I was wondering if Kogure was a basketball player." She said, hoping to cover up her thoughts. Mitsui nodded.  
  
"He is. And he's great, too." He smiled. "We're great friends."  
  
"I see." Kaiyuki said, watching the girl look up at Kogure happily.  
  
She didn't stop looking at them until the end of the party.  
  
*  
  
Saemi held on to Sendoh's hand as they crossed the street to Ryonan.  
  
"Who's idea was this dare anyway?" She complained as she looked around to see if Maki or Kaiyuki was there to spy on them.  
  
"It was Maki's. I can't believe we're going to school hand in hand for a week. I feel like such a dork." Sendoh said.  
  
"Why'd you have to choose double dare anyway? You could've just chosen dare. Then we wouldn't look so stupid."  
  
"Don't ask me. Anyway, here's your classroom. Bye." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and dashed to the other building where his classroom was.  
  
Saemi sighed and entered the classroom. Several boys and girls were whispering around her, but she paid no attention. She was used to it anyway from junior high, when she had to wear glasses as big as her face.  
  
The teacher entered the room and paired them up for a getting-to-know-you conversation. Saemi got a girl whose attitude screamed, "super cool."  
  
"Hi. I'm Stella." She said, sitting down next to Saemi.  
  
"Saemi." She replied absently, taking a pen and paper from her bag.  
  
  
  
"So, Saemi." She said, smiling. "You're boyfriend plays basketball? I've heard a lot about him."  
  
"Yeah," Saemi answered, distracted. She couldn't find her pen or paper anywhere.  
  
"And he's an ace, too, right?" Stella asked, smiling.  
  
"That's what they say." Saemi emerged from under the table from where her pen rolled under.  
  
"Cool. My boyfriend's a basketball player, too, though he's not as good as yours. Where'd you transfer from?"  
  
"Shohoku."  
  
"I see."  
  
The two girls proceeded writing down their names and phone numbers.  
  
"Well, see you later, Saemi." Stella smiled, returning to her seat.  
  
*  
  
When Saemi entered the Ryonan gym later that afternoon, Sendoh greeted her with a big bear hug.  
  
"SENDOH!" Saemi yelled, surprised as her heavy brother enveloped her in his sweaty arms.  
  
"Hello." He said, grinning. "And it's 'niichan to you." Then he proceeded back into the court.  
  
"Baka." Saemi muttered, frowning.  
  
He started threatening the freshmen as they came with the ball. Saemi watched some girls who were whispering and trying to smile at Sendoh.  
  
'Oh, boy. I wonder if that's what the girls back in Shohoku are doing to Rukawa now?' She thought. Then she remembered Kaiyuki's words.  
  
"I'll take care of him for you, Saemi-chan. I'll be in all of his classes anyway."  
  
Saemi smiled. And besides, she trusted Rukawa. He was always nice to her and all.  
  
The Ryonan team paused for a break and Sendoh jogged towards his sister and drained her water jug in one gulp. She rolled her eyes to express her disgust.  
  
"Thanks…I needed that. You should be here everyday."  
  
Some girls squealed as Sendoh gave Saemi a wink and a flying kiss. Someone even fainted.  
  
'I didn't know he had this much sex appeal,' Saemi thought as the SFC (Sendoh fan club) waved a banner proclaiming their name to the entire world.  
  
Sendoh grabbed everyone's attention as he did his best moves flawlessly. Saemi did her homework. A few minutes later, Stella approached her.  
  
"You're guy is like, so cute." She said, looking as Sendoh ran from one side of the court to the other. "I wonder how he holds up his hair like that? And the way he smiles…" She continued.  
  
Saemi just shrugged since she didn't really understand what Stella was saying but was too busy to ask. Rukawa didn't hold up his hair, or does he? Maybe it's a new fad he liked or something. And about the smile, well, she wondered how Stella had seen Rukawa smiling.  
  
'Oh well,' She thought. 'None of my business…'  
  
*  
  
The next day, Shohoku had a practice game with Ryonan. Saemi said she couldn't make it because she had to accompany someone to the dentist. Rukawa forgot who, because he was too busy staring at her.  
  
"Go Koshino!" A girl with blonde hair called from the sidelines. She was wearing a cheerleader outfit with the name Stella on the front. She looked at Rukawa and spotted someone next to him.  
  
"Aya-chan!" 'Stella' exclaimed, waving. She went over to Ayako excitedly.  
  
"Stella! Nice to see you again," Ayako said, smiling.  
  
"Oh, you know I have this friend named Saemi in school, and she says she's from Shohoku. You know her?"  
  
Rukawa's ears perked up at the mention of Saemi's name.  
  
"Yeah." Ayako replied. "As a matter of fact, Rukawa…"  
  
"Oh, you know her?" Stella said happily. "She's like, so cool. She and her boyfriend are like, so sweet. In school they give each other little notes and stuff, and he even brought her her lunch! They're the hottest couple ever."  
  
"Are you sure?" Ayako said skeptically, looking hurriedly at Rukawa.  
  
"Of course I'm sure. They're very much in love." Stella sighed. "Her boyfriend even hugs her in public and all. They're so sweet. She even went with him to the dentist today."  
  
Rukawa's eyebrows shot up. If it's true, then…  
  
"Excuse me." He mumbled. Ayako looked uncertainly at him.  
  
So, it's like this again. Saemi found someone better than him, someone who'd take care of her better. Someone she loves even more than him.  
  
If that's the case, then Saemi should be free from him so she wouldn't be called a two-timer. He would make up a way to make sure he came out as the 'bad guy.'  
  
'Haruko,' He thought, spotting the brunette talking to Sakuragi. Maybe she would help him…  
  
*  
  
^_~ Review what you think, people!!! (I live for them, hehe.)  
  
ah… the art of writing fan fiction while listening to Linkin Park… tsk, tsk. : ) luv it. 


	13. Thirteen

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: I would once again like to express my utmost gratitude to everyone who has reviewed, and I feel a lot more encouraged when I read them so keep them coming! I'm not sure if I would please anyone with the original ending with Fujima you-know-whatting and all but anyway, I wanted to add a little twist. I mean, what's a love story without a love triangle? : ) So anyway, if you have any comments, suggestions, flames, criticisms, etc. etc. please review them. I would appreciate them very much. Thanks!!! ^_~  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Thirteen  
  
***** Haruko,  
  
Hi. Are you free later this evening? Maybe we could go out.  
  
~Rukawa *****  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Uh, Maki asked me to come over to his dorm to help him with some Math."  
  
"Oh, okay. Can I come with you?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Nah, never mind. I'll stay here and guard the house."  
  
"Whatever you say."  
  
Saemi rolled her eyes at her conversation with her brother and proceeded to the train station.  
  
'I wonder why Maki sounded so. pathetic over the phone?'  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Saemi. sob. HELP!!!"  
  
She had dressed quickly and grabbed her own Math stuff from the drawers in a split second so she could get to Maki on time. Everyone knew math was his least favorite subject, so she thought he wasn't really exaggerating.  
  
She took her inline skates from her bag and skated downhill towards Maki's school-she didn't see someone skating uphill to the train station.  
  
They collided with each other and almost fell downhill if it weren't for the person she bumped into-he held her in his arms and steadied himself so she could stand up straight.  
  
"Fu. Fujima?"  
  
Surpised blue eyes met Saemi's green ones. She was just staring at him as he held her close to him.  
  
"Hi." He said shyly, smiling.  
  
"Hey. How are you doing?" She pushed him away lightly.  
  
"Just fine." He let her go and waved his hand to one side. "That's my school. It's right next to Shohoku and Maki's school."  
  
Saemi nodded. "I'm about to go visit him right now."  
  
Fujima looked sideways at her. "I know. He says he can't keep up with university math without calculators."  
  
Saemi smiled. "Well, I better get going."  
  
"See you."  
  
"See you."  
  
*  
  
Saemi walked to Maki's dorm room lazily. She knew she was a bit late, but anyway.  
  
Maki opened the door. "You're late." He had this blank look on his face.  
  
"Sorry." Saemi said. "I bumped into Fujima. We collided with each other." Her voice faltered when she saw who else was in the room.  
  
"Kae-chan." She said, smiling.  
  
He ignored her, which was unusual. She frowned at his behavior.  
  
"Kae-chan?"  
  
He stood up and grazed her shoulder lightly as he went out the door. Saemi frowned at Maki.  
  
"What the hell did I do now?!"  
  
To her surprise, Maki sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Whatever happens, don't cry. Please tell me you won't." He whispered.  
  
"What?" She replied, confused. She looked up and met Maki's gaze.  
  
"Rukawa, he." He started. His mouth was suddenly dry. "He wants to."  
  
*  
  
Kaiyuki hummed a love song to herself happily. She was making portraits of Kogure to hang in her room, since she was a good painter. Her phone rang. She picked it up and said the happiest hello she had ever said in her whole life.  
  
"Hi Kaiyuki."  
  
"Kogure?" She said, expectantly.  
  
"No, uh, this is Mitsui."  
  
"Oh, hi." She hoped she didn't sound too disappointed. "What's up?"  
  
"Oh, nothing new. I was wondering if.if, you know, you weren't doing anything we could go to the movies with Kogure."  
  
Kaiyuki's face lit up. "I would love to!"  
  
'Yey.Kogure!'  
  
"So we'll be picking you up later?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
They hung up. Kaiyuki excitedly called Saemi's house.  
  
"Hello?" Sendoh's sleepy voice answered.  
  
"Saemi, please."  
  
"She's with Maki."  
  
"Oh, okay. Thanks."  
  
Sendoh yawned loudly. "You're welcome. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Kaiyuki dialed Maki's number but it was busy. She decided to go over to Maki's dorm since it was only a few blocks away.  
  
'I can't wait to tell them. I'm going out with Kogure.'  
  
She thought for awhile. 'Oh. I mean, Mitsui..'  
  
She called her chauffer and went on her way to Maki's college.  
  
*  
  
Saemi felt like she would collapse. Her knees were shaking.  
  
"Say that again."  
  
"Saemi, please sit down." Maki said, beginning to pull her towards the bed.  
  
"No, I'm.I'm serious." She collapsed onto Maki's bed and he sat down next to her with his hands clasped on his lap.  
  
"Saemi, he-Rukawa-he started going out with Haruko."  
  
She sort of nodded for him to continue.  
  
"He, uh, wants you to dump him."  
  
She stared at him blankly. "He what?"  
  
"Saemi, I know this is kind of hard to take, but Rukawa isn't the guy you thought he was. It happens all the time, don't worry." Maki said quickly, noticing Saemi's face. "There are other guys out there who'll love you more."  
  
He saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.  
  
"Saemi, please don't. Don't cry." He cupped her face in his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs. He looked as if he might cry too.  
  
'Oh, God.what did she do to deserve this?'  
  
He pulled her to him and let her cry silently. "It's ok." He whispered, caressing her hair. "I'm here. Sendoh's here. Kaiyuki's here. We're here for you no matter what. Shhh."  
  
He heard her sob and texted (SMS) Sendoh to come with one hand since he was holding Saemi in the other. "Please don't cry."  
  
*  
  
Sendoh rolled over when he heard his cell phone beep. It was from Maki.  
  
'Bro, Saem and Rukawa broke up cause of this girl from Shohoku.'  
  
WHAT?! He texted back. He now felt wide awake, and boiling mad. He pulled a t-shirt on and grabbed his shoes.  
  
"That f***ing son of a *****." He growled and headed out the door.  
  
'I swear I'll get you for this.'  
  
*  
  
"Konnichi." Kaiyuki stared at Saemi who was crying on Maki. "Saemi-chan?" She said softly.  
  
"Rukawa." Maki said glumly, motioning for her to enter. She slipped her hand on Saemi's and squeezed it.  
  
"It's alright. Don't cry." She whispered. The red haired girl breathed in and Maki handed her a glass of water.  
  
"Thank you." Her voice was trembling as she sipped the glass she was holding. Sendoh burst in the room shortly.  
  
"Saemi?" He said, sitting on the floor next to Kaiyuki.  
  
"'Niichan."  
  
Sendoh hugged her tight and didn't let go. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."  
  
"Don't be."  
  
All of them fell silent.  
  
"C'mon. I'll treat you guys somewhere." Sendoh said, trying to smile. Saemi looked up and returned his smile shakily.  
  
"Okay." She said.  
  
"Don't worry about anything else anymore." Maki added, wiping her face.  
  
"Alright. I'm sorry guys. And I love you all."  
  
"We love you, too." Sendoh said, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"I know. Thank you."  
  
*  
  
"Hello? I'm sorry, Mitsui, I can't make it. But you guys can come with us if you like."  
  
"Ok. We'll meet you there later. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Kaiyuki handed the cell phone back to Sendoh.  
  
"They said they're coming."  
  
"Okay. What's a good movie to watch? Resident Evil?"  
  
"Oh, sure."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
They enjoyed themselves the whole night and Saemi forgot about Rukawa.  
  
Though not entirely.  
  
*  
  
Haruko glanced at the 6 foot tall basketball player beside him. She couldn't believe he was hers now, and hers alone. In her selfish desire for him she discarded other people's feelings, like Saemi's, for instance.  
  
She was surprised when Rukawa started courting her through little notes in her locker, then flowers and chocolates.and finally, she found a ring in her desk with a note that said, Will you be my girlfriend?  
  
Granted, it wasn't as exciting as him saying it verbally to her, but still.she was glad. Very glad. She tugged his sleeve affectionately.  
  
"Rukawa-kun."  
  
He cocked his head at her, unsmiling. She smiled. So cute.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie."  
  
He sort of nodded, and Haruko clasped her hand with his. Hot blood rushed from their point of contact to her head. She felt dizzy.  
  
'I can't believe he's mine.'  
  
*  
  
"Hi, Saemi." Fujima greeted, smiling. She returned his smile and gestured for him to go in.  
  
"Oniichan's in the shower, Maki's over there." She said. She looked at him. He had changed his hairstyle and had grown taller, stronger, more mature. Why hadn't she noticed that before.?  
  
"Alright." He went in and Saemi followed him to the living room.  
  
"Hey, Fuj my man." Maki said, slapping Fujima at the back. "What brings you here?"  
  
His eyes averted from Maki to Saemi. "I heard that.I heard something happened, and I came here as Saemi's friend."  
  
She looked down for a few seconds, and then felt Fujima's hand on hers. He squeezed it tight.  
  
"Lighten up. With those looks and that brain, you're bound to find someone else."  
  
She smiled, comforted. "Thanks."  
  
"So I was wondering.since I'm an honorary guest and I don't have a date for this joint something-Shoyo soph night, maybe you could go with me."  
  
"Okay." Saemi agreed.  
  
"Thanks." Fujima flashed her a dazzling smile, and Saemi couldn't help but think he was cute.  
  
"Just inform me when, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Sendoh suddenly appeared in front of them. "Yo, Fuj! What's up?"  
  
The three boys started talking, so Saemi went up the stairs to her room. She glanced at Fujima one more time.  
  
Maybe, just maybe, she could forget about Rukawa after all.  
  
*  
  
Kaiyuki looked at her watched and feigned surprise.  
  
"Oh, Mitsui, I'm so sorry. I promised to meet Saemi at the mall today."  
  
"I see. I'll come with you." He said, smiling.  
  
"No need. Only girls will come and you'll just feel left out."  
  
"That's ok."  
  
She gritted her teeth. It was so hard to shake him off her tail, even though she was an expert at excuses.  
  
"No, Mitsui. I really have to go."  
  
"Alright, alright.so maybe we could go out again sometime."  
  
"Whatever. See you."  
  
She rushed towards her car as quickly as she could.  
  
"Sendoh residence." She told the driver. He nodded.  
  
When she got there, she saw Saemi, Maki, Sendoh and a familiar looking guy playing monopoly.  
  
'Pretty cute.' She thought, looking at the guy intently. 'Though I like Kogure types better.'  
  
"Hey, Kai-chan." Sendoh said, gesturing for her to take a seat. "You still remember Fujima?"  
  
She looked at him one more time. "Yeah, I do, not that distinctly though."  
  
Fujima smiled. "Then you'll forgive me if I don't remember you that much either, Kaiyuki-chan." He joked, offering his seat to her.  
  
Kaiyuki smiled. Now this was a gentleman. A gentleman for her best friend.  
  
"Hmm.hey, you know that joint Shohoku and Shoyo sophomore night, Saemi? Maybe you could go." Kaiyuki said casually. 'And why don't you take her to it, Fujima? Aren't you from Shoyo?' She thought as back up if Saemi agreed.  
  
"Oh, Fujima already asked me to go." She said. Kaiyuki looked sideways at Fujima.  
  
'He's fast.'  
  
"I wish I could go with Kogure." She told Saemi.  
  
"Still moping about him?" Sendoh asked.  
  
"I'll ask him. He's also an honorary guest for being vice captain of the basketball team."  
  
All heads turned to Maki.  
  
"You would?!" Kaiyuki squealed, giving him a hug.  
  
"OW!" Maki yelled from somewhere under the couch. "My head."  
  
"And for being so nice I'll tell you the new prank I made just for you so you could watch out for it."  
  
"No! Not another one! Last week my pen squirted ink all over university, and the teacher wouldn't believe it was invisible."  
  
Saemi laughed and watched Maki and Kaiyuki argue. She didn't notice Fujima behind her with a blind fold.  
  
Kaiyuki didn't see Sendoh with his blind fold either.  
  
"Hey!" Both girls cried, as the boys put blind folds on them. Someone tied their hands together.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kaiyuki asked, frowning.  
  
"It's a secret." Maki said, laughing.  
  
"Relax." Sendoh whispered to Saemi. She blindly reached for him with her tied hands but caught Fujima's head between her arms instead.  
  
"Oh." She gasped when she felt his hair wasn't Maki-ish nor Sendoh-ish. She blushed. Fujima blushed, too.  
  
Maki cleared his throat.  
  
"Er.we're going to someone's house." Sendoh said. "You're driving, right?"  
  
"Right." Saemi heard Fujima say. So that flashy sports car outside was his. Ooooh.  
  
The boys led the girls into the car and drove off somewhere north.  
  
"Let us go."  
  
"Nuh-uh." Sendoh teased.  
  
*  
  
End of chappy!!! Review what you think!!! : ) TY!!![pic] 


	14. 14

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: Thank you to all reviewers!! Really appreciate your reviews. ( I am so sorry if this fic is turning out into the lamest EVER!! all I can say. ( Disclaimer.  
  
Fourteen  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"Can we take the blind folds off now?"  
  
"Five minutes." Sendoh said, getting out of the car. Maki helped Saemi out the car, while Fujima helped Kaiyuki.  
  
"Where are we going?" Kaiyuki asked. Saemi was silent.  
  
Sendoh opened a door and they all went inside.  
  
"Surprise!!!"  
  
Their blind folds fell back. Both girls gasped.  
  
"It's your 15th anniversary for being best friends." Maki said, smiling. All their old friends from elementary and junior high were there.  
  
"You shouldn't have." Kaiyuki said.  
  
"Oh, but we did." Sendoh grinned. "For two very special people." He said, raising his glass.  
  
*  
  
"Saemi, wake up!!! Saemi."  
  
"Hmmm." The sleeping red head mumbled, going further into the covers.  
  
"You promised Fujima a date, remember?"  
  
"Did I?" She murmured sleepily, rolling over. "Can't it wait.?"  
  
"No." Her brother lifted her up from the bed and threw her in the air.  
  
"What?!" Saemi gasped, surprised, as Sendoh caught her a second before she would have fell on the floor.  
  
"You baka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"You wouldn't wake up." Sendoh said. His sister glared at him icily.  
  
"Okay, okay. uh, Fujima's here."  
  
"Fine." She sighed. "Five minutes to get ready."  
  
She shook her head to clear it and grabbed the first dress she saw in her closet. Then, she brushed her teeth and washed her face before she went down the stairs.  
  
As soon as she saw Fujima, her jaw dropped. Why the hell was he so good looking these days? She knew he was good looking, but nowadays he was.even more.  
  
'It's the hairstyle.' She thought. 'And because he's not as short anymore.'  
  
He smiled at her and led her to his car with her blood pounding madly in her chest.  
  
'My God.say it isn't so.'  
  
"Where do you want to go?" He asked, turning to her.  
  
"Um, anywhere you like."  
  
"Okay." He grinned. "Let's go to the."  
  
*  
  
Kaiyuki glanced at Kogure as he approached her, Maki and Mitsui.  
  
'Oh, no! Is my hair okay? Do I look stupid? Maki!!!!!!!!' She screamed mentally.  
  
The brown haired guy in front of her heeded her mental thoughts and gave her a thumbs up sign.  
  
"Hey, Kogure." Mitsui greeted.  
  
"Hi." He replied shyly, avoiding Kaiyuki's gaze.  
  
"Aren't you gonna ask her something?" Maki asked, obviously tense.  
  
Kaiyuki tried to look surprised.  
  
"Oh, um, Kaiyuki-chan, I was wondering if." Kogure swallowed nervously. "If, um, you would like to go with me to the Shohoku-Shoyo soph night."  
  
She smiled. 'Yeah! Way to go, Maki!'  
  
"I would love to."  
  
Mitsui looked at the two of them. It suddenly dawned on him why Kogure was asking Kaiyuki to the soph night.  
  
Or why Kogure started daydreaming in the classroom.  
  
Or why Kogure ignored him whenever Kaiyuki was around.  
  
He was in love. With her. Just like Mitsui.  
  
"Uh, gotta go." Mitsui said suddenly, going up to his dorm.  
  
'That's okay, pal. You can have her.'  
  
*  
  
"Woohoo!!!" Saemi screamed happily, as the roller coaster plunged downwards fast.  
  
Fujima laughed beside her. When he heard that she and Rukawa broke up, it signaled a second chance for him to get her. So he asked Sendoh and Maki's help to be Saemi's ideal guy.  
  
And it could be working.  
  
He cocked his head sideways at her. "How about dinner at the Float?"  
  
She just stared at him. "You're kidding!" She said. The Float was only exclusive to 50 members and their friends, and membership was extremely hard to come by.  
  
"Am not." He grinned. "And why don't we invite Kaiyuki and Kogure?"  
  
"Alright!" She replied happily.  
  
Fujima grinned to himself. 'About pushing the right buttons, Maki had said. Like the Kaiyuki shaped one.'  
  
He held her hand as soon as they got off the ride. "You wouldn't want to get lost know, would you?"  
  
To his surprise, she blushed and shook her head.  
  
'Goodbye, Rukawa.' Fujima thought happily. (agh! I'm making him so sadistic.)  
  
*  
  
Kogure glanced at Kaiyuki for the nth time that night. She was perfect, as usual. She had one hand on his forearm, and she was looking for Saemi and the others.  
  
"Can you see them, Kogure-kun? You're much taller than I am." She smiled sweetly at him.  
  
'I can look, but I don't want to see them.' He thought mentally. He kind of liked the idea of them being alone. Together.  
  
"Yuki-chan!" Someone called excitedly. Kogure saw Saemi waving energetically at them with Fujima beside her.  
  
"Saemi-chan!"  
  
The two girls approached each other with big smiles on their faces.  
  
"Wanna dance, Kogure-kun?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
They had fun together and danced the night away.  
  
*  
  
The next day, in school, the Biology teacher paired Kaiyuki and Rukawa up for a major project. He snuck a peek at the photographs she was holding and couldn't help but ask how Saemi was.  
  
"She's fine." Kaiyuki answered coldly. "Now that you're out of her life, she can find someone better than you."  
  
He was taken aback. "She already has a guy."  
  
"She does not. And I hope she says yes to that Fujima Kenji. He's all that you aren't." Kaiyuki replied, frowning.  
  
'Kenji?!' Rukawa thought dubiously.  
  
He reached for the jar the live frogs were hopping around in. "Fujima's not from Ryonan."  
  
"Oh THAT'S why." Kaiyuki snapped. "You believed all those rumors, did you? You thought she cheated on you, did you? Well your mystery guy is SENDOH AKIRA and if that doesn't ring a bell---"  
  
"Ms. Kaiyuki." The teacher said warningly.  
  
Rukawa stared. Kaiyuki was beet red from embarrassment.  
  
"Sendoh Akira?"  
  
"Yes, Sendoh. Who else brings her lunch? Hugs her in public, etc.?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"It was Maki, you moron!!! The brown haired guy was Maki, and puh-lease I do not believe you' re my best friend's ex."  
  
It hit Rukawa like a ton of bricks.  
  
'I broke up with her. for NOTHING?!'  
  
Doaho, a little voice whispered in his ear. Doaho Rukawa  
  
*  
  
.September, Saemi's birthday.  
  
Fujima fingered the ring in his pocket.  
  
So far, so good.  
  
This time, he was gonna make it. He was sure of it. Very sure.  
  
He was gonna go out into that crowd, ask her to be his girl, and she was going to agree. Hopefully.  
  
He smiled nervously as Sendoh opened the door and winked at him. "Good luck."  
  
He nodded and went inside the house. A lot of people were already there, and she was nowhere to be seen. He gulped and finally spotted her going into the kitchen. He followed, pushing through the crowd and finally appearing in front of the kitchen door.  
  
It's time.  
  
He gulped as he approached Saemi, who was sitting atop the kitchen counter, talking to Sendoh. Her brother gave him one look and bolted out the door with the excuse that he had to feed the dog.  
  
(They didn't have one.)  
  
Saemi turned her head, and Fujima was frozen on the spot. He tried to smile, but his muscles wouldn't work. He inched forward and cleared his throat.  
  
She looked at him curiously as he clasped her hands in his and muttered something incomprehensible.  
  
"Pardon?" She asked, blinking.  
  
A reddish color stained his cheeks as he tried again, but he couldn't say anything. Desperate, he slipped the ring onto her finger instead and pulled her into a kiss.  
  
*  
  
Haruko glanced at Rukawa and sighed. He was too busy staring at Saemi and Fujima to pay attention to her. She sighed again and turned Rukawa's head to face her.  
  
"Let's dance, Ru-kun."  
  
He obeyed, but was clearly lost in his own thoughts as they danced. Haruko tried to ignore the sensations he made her feel and looked straight ahead, ignoring his handsome face and muscular build.  
  
'Can't you learn to love me.?'  
  
But she knew the answer. Deep inside he still loved her, and he always will.  
  
Sendoh Saemi.  
  
*  
  
end of chapter. Sorry for being mean to everyone. ( in my nature most probably. Rurouni-I love ur angst fics!!!! 


	15. 15

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: I'm giving this fic five more chappys and hopefully by then it'll finally be done. Anyway, very busy at school and totally no idea what I'm writing about-forgive me!. Anyway, here's the next chappy and to the following people UPDATE!! Chop chop! Ciao.  
  
Iffy-chan - I need to know what's gonna happen! PLEASE do not leave me hanging!!! La la la LALALA. (Rukawa singing oh my) Update voice.  
  
Nellie-I LOVE YOU'RE NEW FIC (Wishes)!! UPDATE FAST PLEEEAAAAAAASSSSSEEEE!!!! I love love love love it!!!  
  
Jeano-haven't read your fic in a while but will do!! (The Rukawa we never knew)  
  
Ryume-chan-L.I.V.E. B.R.O.A.D.C.A.S.T.YOU SUCK!! Nyehehehehehehe. Can't even do an inequality equation right!! hahahaha : ) bleh!! (you can't kill me at school tomorrow.)  
  
Silhouette Panther-A cliff hanger review! Hahaha.  
  
Alexia-Course I remember ya!! Elloie!!! (  
  
Thanks a lot guys!!! ( *hugz* (Rurouni's trademark ()  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Saemi watched Fujima's face as they danced. How his features glowed with happiness, how his whole face was lit up and happy.  
  
How his brows looked much like Rukawa's, but lighter, how his hair cut reminded her of Rukawa, how his lips felt so much like.  
  
Rukawa Kaede.  
  
*It can't be.*  
  
She saw him in Fujima. She saw his love, his warmth, his feelings. And then it dawned on her---  
  
Fujima was trying to be like Rukawa. And it was working. At least, for now.  
  
"Fujima---"  
  
"Saemi---"  
  
Fujima grinned and nodded. "Go on."  
  
Saemi sucked in her breath. She knew now what she was feeling---when Rukawa broke up with her, she thought she had gotten over him through Fujima. But the truth remained the same-she didn't love this man, for only Rukawa and Rukawa alone could claim her heart.  
  
Fujima, he---  
  
Fujima was just a replacement.  
  
"Nothing," She whispered, looking down at her toes.  
  
"What is it?" Fujima prodded, trying to get her to look into his eyes. He was surprised when she did.  
  
"It's nothing." She smiled and lay her hand on Fujima's shoulder. "Don't worry about it."  
  
*  
  
Kogure looked down on the petite blonde in front of him and smiled. Through the months they had together, they had gotten to know each other better. She smiled back at him and linked her arm with his.  
  
"Hey, Kaiyuki."  
  
"Hey, Kogure."  
  
He grinned at her again.  
  
"It's a full moon tonight. I wanted to show you."  
  
She smiled. "Okay."  
  
He led her to the Sendoh's backyard and cut through a hedge to the basketball court. They sat on the spectators' sidelines together and looked up at the moon.  
  
It was hidden behind a few stray wisps of black clouds, but it was still visible all the same. Its luminous glow bathed them in its light, their only source from where they were sitting.  
  
"Kaiyuki-chan." Kogure said as she snuggled close to him.  
  
"Hmm.?"  
  
"Have you."  
  
She looked up at him and they gazed into each other's eyes.  
  
"Have you ever felt something so great like falling in love?"  
  
He leaned closer and their lips met.  
  
*  
  
Saemi sighed as she surveyed the party debris after everyone had gone. Sendoh cheerfully grabbed a broom and a mop and started with the living room. Maki and Kaiyuki followed, both flushed and looking happy after the night of partying.  
  
Saemi collapsed tiredly on the couch and rubbed her temples.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sendoh asked, instantly moving towards his sister.  
  
"'Niichan..." She whispered hoarsely. "I'm still in love with him."  
  
"Who?" Sendoh asked, a baffled expression on his face.  
  
"Who else?!" Maki said exasperatedly, joining the siblings on the couch.  
  
"Now this is bad news." Kaiyuki said, placing her cel phone on the coffee table. "After I yelled myself hoarse at his idiocy and dweebness."  
  
"Who?" Sendoh asked again.  
  
"Kae-chan." Saemi admitted quietly.  
  
"What!?" Sendoh exclaimed.  
  
Kaiyuki enveloped Saemi in a hug. "Saemi-chan, the decisions are all yours. You can still---"  
  
"But, Fujima---"  
  
"He'll understand." Maki said. "He's old enough, and if he really loves you."  
  
"Haruko-"  
  
"Haruko's just his display. He's using her, though he's really aching for you."  
  
"Kai-chan, how long have you known?"  
  
Both boys and Saemi stared at her.  
  
"Just tonight. Kogure and I went out to talk." Her face flushed as she continued her sentence. ".outside."  
  
Saemi sighed and felt her tears threaten to come.  
  
*Kae-chan.*  
  
*  
  
He pedaled faster, almost furiously, hoping to blur the images he had of Fujima and Saemi together in his mind. The rain started to come, and he remembered that fateful night. The night he finally told her how he felt.  
  
Now he didn't know what to think. He wanted to drown himself in the rain, to erase all his memories, to wake him up in a new tomorrow where his girl would be his.  
  
Instead, the rain welcomed him to the harsh reality of his life, where he was not in control, where he did not rule.  
  
He stopped, dripping wet, outside the Akagi's home and pressed the doorbell.  
  
"Coming!" He heard Haruko's cheerful voice, and then the door opened.  
  
"Oh my gosh!! Rukawa-kun, you're---"  
  
"It's over."  
  
His words cut through Haruko's heart like a steel knife.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Us."  
  
Her puzzlement immediately turned into comprehension. "Rukawa-kun---"  
  
"Gomen."  
  
He turned around, towards his bike. He could hear the small, soft splashes Haruko was making as she hurried to him.  
  
"Rukawa-kun, don't leave me." She whispered, her arms wrapping around his waist. He looked coldly at her, and released himself from her grip gently.  
  
"Gomen." He echoed, putting his helmet on his head as Haruko's tears mixed with the rain.  
  
"No.." She whispered as Rukawa pedaled home. She closed her eyes and felt the rain's cold embrace.  
  
"No.."  
  
*  
  
"Saemi?"  
  
*Stop it. Don't.*  
  
"Saemi-chan, wake up."  
  
*Please.let go of me.*  
  
"Saemi?"  
  
*No.No.*  
  
Sendoh frowned as he felt his sister's forehead. She was hot, and felt like she had a fever.  
  
"Saemi?" He repeated worriedly, taking the thermometer from the bedside table. He inserted it in her mouth slowly. It read 41 degrees Celsius.  
  
He panicked and rushed downstairs to get his mom.  
  
"You'd better go to school now, hon." Mrs. Sendoh said, smiling. "I'll take care of Saem."  
  
"I can't mom." He said, watching his sister's labored breathing.  
  
"Trust me."  
  
He sighed. "All right. Bye, mom."  
  
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and went off on his way.  
  
*  
  
Saemi woke up groggily and felt someone's cheek on her forehead.  
  
"Kaiyuki-chan?" She croaked.  
  
The blonde nodded and assured her that everything was fine.  
  
"Someone.someone's here to see you."  
  
She disappeared, and then a few moments later Saemi was staring into a pair of gentle blue eyes she knew so well. She could feel her tears well up inside her, of joy, anger and hurt.  
  
"Kai-chan---"  
  
He just looked into her eyes, and Saemi felt her eyes begin to sting. Why was he here? How can he be here? Did he know that.  
  
"I broke up with Haruko." He looked away, into an imaginary spot on the wall which never existed.  
  
"I see."Saemi choked. She felt her mind spinning, her heart racing. Rukawa looked into her eyes again.  
  
"Because I still love you."  
  
~END OF CHAPTER 


	16. 16

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: Hey look! An update! Himala (miracle) as we Filipinos call it! Ne, Princess Ren? Hehehe.  
  
Nellie-my humblest apologies for fujima. he's all yours!!! : ) PLEAAAAAAAAAASE continue WISHES because I loooooooooooooooove it!!!  
  
Alexia-not that you want kenji for yourself? (hard to believe. : ))  
  
Rurouni-hey! I'm still here. : ) barely hanging  
  
Princess Ren-!!!! : ) hi!!! Long time no contact!!! : )  
  
Tensaispira-Hello!! Sorry coz I really can't-and don't---post soon (sweatdrop) Well, I tried. : )  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Sixteen  
  
"Because I still love you."  
  
Ah, infamous cliffhangers.  
  
For a long time, they just stared into each others eyes. Saemi's emerald ones held so much, desperation, hurt, love.Rukawa struggled to keep up with her emotions, to know what she was thinking, to feel what she was feeling. It was like the pieces of his life were rearranging themselves in the right places of a giant jigsaw puzzle board, and he could not explain the relief that he felt that time.  
  
Saemi just watched, shocked, void of any physical feeling, her mind spinning and her heart thumping madly in her chest. *He's here.*  
  
The raven hair, the sapphire eyes, and the kind look she always saw in them whenever she saw him. *He's here, and.*  
  
Rukawa reached for hand. *.he came back.*  
  
Suddenly her body went rigid, and she blacked out.  
  
Rukawa watched the hand he was holding go limp, then looked at alarmingly at Kaiyuki, who was already on her feet.  
  
"Take her to the hospital." Kaiyuki said, her brows furrowing. Rukawa nodded.  
  
He carried her to the car waiting outside, while Kaiyuki used her cel phone to call Fujima, Sendoh, and Maki. Rukawa didn't let go of Saemi until they arrived at the hospital and had to lay her on the bed.  
  
Sendoh arrived a few moments later, bathed in sweat like he had just run from the end of the earth to another (he probably did) with Maki at his heels. Fujima was nowhere in sight, and was probably still stuck in traffic.  
  
Kaiyuki looked worriedly at the boys after a nurse entered the room, carrying a cart. Rukawa just stared at Saemi.  
  
A few minutes later, a doctor clad in white entered, looking quite cheery and wearing a gigantic smile.  
  
"Oh hello there, kids." He said, looking at Saemi lying on the bed, who was whiter than the hospital bed sheet. "What seems to be the problem?"  
  
Rukawa glared at him and muttered something like "F.I.S.H." which wasn't his usual expression, Sendoh looked indignantly at him and Kaiyuki collapsed on the chair nearest her.  
  
Maki was the one who took charge.  
  
"Actually, we don't know either. That's why we brought her to a hospital, hoping that capable, dependable people can help us." He said the words capable and dependable with relish.  
  
"Ah." The doctor said, hobbling over to Saemi and checking her pulse. "You're friend's heart beat is quite slow."  
  
Sendoh bit back the "so do something about it, you moron!" he was about to say and whispered, "What's wrong with her?"  
  
The doctor cleared his throat importantly and looked at him straight in the eye.  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
*Great,* Rukawa thought, rolling his eyes at the incompetent doctor.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'm Mr.Rukawa's son, and I would like your best doctor here."  
  
He thought for a while, then added, "Now."  
  
The doctor gaped at him for a while, then summoned the hospital's top doctor. At that time, Fujima entered the room.  
  
"What happened?" He asked, as the new doctor, doctor So, checked Saemi up.  
  
"I don't know." Sendoh answered, closing his eyes.  
  
Rukawa avoided Fujima's gaze by staring at the floor.  
  
"IS she going to be alright?" Fujima asked tentatively. The new doctor stepped forward and shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, but she has almost no chance of surviving. This virus has killed a lot of teenagers too, and scientists can't figure out what it's cure is. I'm sorry."  
  
Stunned tears fell from Sendoh's eyes.  
  
"You're kidding." He whispered, paying no attention to the tears now dripping from his chin to his shirt. "You're kidding, doc. There has to be away."  
  
The doctor shook his head. "It's up to her, if she can fight it, and the pain. I'm very sorry I have to be the one to tell you this. Please give me her parents' number so I may call them."  
  
Kaiyuki was crying by this time, now, too. Sendoh just stood there, staring at nothing in particular, while tears streamed down his face. Rukawa still continued looking down, while Fujima did breathing exercises. Maki went out to talk to the doctor.  
  
*  
  
Saemi could hear voices. Where were they? Where were they coming from?  
  
She could hear bells ringing, children laughing, a sweet sound which filled her with warmth and happiness. What was this feeling?  
  
And then she became visible, to that world with green meadows and lush gardens filled with colorful and fragrant flowers. Here, a little voice whispered in her ear, is where Yoshke is. Here, the little voice whispered again, you can live with him forever, and know no death.  
  
Know no separation.  
  
Yoshke.  
  
She could see him, the little boy with jet black hair like Sendoh's, and emerald eyes just like hers. The little boy with a sweet smile, with thoughtful words just for his.  
  
"Oneechan!" He calls, and she comes running to the little brother she had for only four years, until a virus came and took him away.  
  
"Yoshke."  
  
He smiles at her, and she smiles back. Here, they could be together, with Sendoh, otousan and kaasan. If she stayed here, they would be a family again, somehow. But the other choice.  
  
A voice.  
  
*Saemi.*  
  
A voice which she heard rarely, but whenever she did filled her with more warmth and happiness than she could imagine.  
  
An affirmation.  
  
*You're the most important part of my life, and no one can ever take your place.*  
  
*I love you because you're you.*  
  
*I love you, Saemi.*  
  
"Kae-chan."  
  
"I don't want to leave you."  
  
*  
  
The others watched as beads of sweat appeared on Saemi's forehead.  
  
"She's fighting." The doctor said. "Something's driving her to live."  
  
"Will she be alright?" Fujima asked for the nth time.  
  
"Depends on what she's fighting for. If she's fighting for something she strongly believes in, she'll survive."  
  
*I hope she will.*  
  
*  
  
Maki watched Saemi struggling, and heard what the doctor said. Somehow, he felt assured and somewhat affirmed that she was doing well.  
  
*That's because she's fighting for the strongest thing in the world.*  
  
His eyes rested briefly on Rukawa, who was looking at her face.  
  
*.she's fighting for love.*  
  
Okay, I proposed killing Fujima, and then I tortured Rukawa, so now what am I doing to Saemi? *holds a dagger, ready to stab at her chest*  
  
Readers: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  
  
Comments? Suggestions? Review or e-mail!!! ( Love you guys!!! Buh bye!! ^_~  
  
Sorry for making Sendoh cry. And I never meant to be dramatic. (  
  
Any objections on a crying Rukawa? ( 


	17. 17

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: God another update! This girl is bored out of her mind!!!  
  
Rurouni - (and to everyone else) sorry but the only thing I read these days are the economist and time (what?! What kind of a nerd are you?!) but I WILL catch up to all those amazing and beautiful fics as soon as I have the chance, coz I can't stare at the computer screen too long or I'm afraid my eyes might pop out. : )  
  
Nellie - Fujima is ALL YOURS! : ) any protests, Alexia? : ) I hope your holiday comes soon!!! : ) (pls let it b soon pls let it be soon pls let it be soon)  
  
Jeano - hello! : )  
  
Foxyface - sorry for the laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate update!!  
  
Itadakimasu - actually I don't like Rukawa that much either. I'm still a Fujima and Sendoh person. (no yaoi pun intended!) cute name!!  
  
CJ - thank you! Dunno if it's the climax though. I'm just going with the flow. : )  
  
Angelwings - I'll try to extend, but. don't think I can : ) I'm running out of ideas. but I'll try. : )  
  
Thank you everyone!! I love you guys!!  
  
P.S. - I do not know how to italicize the words so it's ** if I want em italic. Thanks for bearing with my stupid-mindedness, hehe ^_^()  
  
Seventeen  
  
Dawn. 5:45 A.M.  
  
Rukawa rubs his eyes sleepily. Has he fallen asleep? He blinks a few times as his eyes adjust to his surroundings. Where is he?  
  
The canary-colored couch by the wall is empty, save the large brown parcel on top of it. The wall behind it is colored peach, with a neat array of intricately made portraits bordered by exquisite golden frames. Somehow, it all seems familiar.  
  
She watches, a half-smile on her face, her long crimson hair flowing in cascades below her shoulders.  
  
**Rukawa**  
  
He blinks again, then checks his watch. His emotionless, sleepy expression suddenly turns cold. She watches, wanting to call out to him, to reach out, but she can't. And she could never again. His gaze lingers on the pictures for a moment, and his face softens a bit. But not for long. Soon it is filled with regret.  
  
Anger.  
  
Remorse.  
  
Guilt.  
  
She closes her eyes as tears start to fall. **Rukawa**  
  
Saemi, he thinks.  
  
She watches as someone draws closer to Rukawa, someone tall, lanky and very familiar.  
  
And her tears start again.  
  
**Oni.Oniichan.**  
  
Sendoh clasps a hand on Rukawa's shoulder, and looks down for a moment. Rukawa shakes his head, not saying anything.  
  
Here they are, she thinks. Two of the people she loved most. Two of the people who had been there for her and supported her through the years. Two of the people she wanted to be with for all eternity.  
  
"It's going to be okay," Sendoh says, but his voice wavers for a moment. In his eyes, you could see his tiredness, his grief and his misery, but he tries to conceal them.  
  
He's lost them. Both of them, the only siblings he's ever had.  
  
".Oniichan.", She whispers, tears spilling from her eyes. ".Oniichan."  
  
He shakes his head again and leaves. Rukawa is all alone now. For the first time in his life, he feels something climbing up his throat.  
  
Suddenly something stings his eyes, and cold, wet tears slide silently down his cheeks.  
  
"Saemi." He takes a deep breath, to calm himself.  
  
You were the only person I really loved.  
  
She looks away from the scene and starts crying. Her family, her friends. they all seem so far away now. She curls herself up in a ball, and sobs silently.  
  
Don't I have a chance at all?  
  
Can't I. can't I at least say goodbye.?  
  
Suddenly she feels a hand on her shoulder, comforting her. She looks up, and stares into a pair of large emerald eyes which were looking at her warmly, encouragingly.  
  
"Go on."  
  
Go? Go where.?  
  
She looks confused, and then he comes forward and hugs her.  
  
"You still have a chance. Go back to them. To everybody. Don't be like me."  
  
She looks at him again.  
  
But-  
  
"Do it for me. Do it for all the people you love."  
  
She stands up at last, a façade of bravery on her face. But deep inside, she knew, she was trembling.  
  
For you, this is for you. And for all the other people I love.  
  
With renewed vigor and strength, she thinks, I want to go back. I want to be myself again.  
  
From a distance, she hears a voice echoing, bouncing in an attempt to reach her. Just her.  
  
"Remember that I'll always love you."  
  
*  
  
The heart monitor resumed its jaggedness, and Maki felt relieved. From scattered chairs around the room, Rukawa, Sendoh and Kaiyuki were sleeping peacefully. He looked at the bed in the center of the room.  
  
Saemi was covered in sweat, her long red hair in disarray around her. Sunlight streamed in through the cracks from the curtains, filtering its rays through the window. He stepped forward, towards her.  
  
She had an almost peaceful look on her face, and suddenly Maki feared the worse. Maybe, she.  
  
The heart monitor contradicted his fears: she was alive. He brushed a few loose strands away from her face, smiling. Please be okay.  
  
He stayed there, staring at her for a few minutes, thinking about how much she'd grown up over the past years. He'd known her forever, and he wished he could know her longer. He would get his wish, he knew it.  
  
Slowly her eyes fluttered open, and Maki gave out a shout of surprise. Saemi flinched.  
  
SORRY, he mouthed, while she could only smile.  
  
Maki, she thought, her gaze sweeping across the room. Oniichan. Kaiyuki.  
  
Rukawa.  
  
She smiled again, then closed her eyes.  
  
Thank you, Yoshke.  
  
I will always love you. 


	18. 18

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings:Bwahahahaha! An update!! Sorry for the sudden turn of events, maybe I could stretch this fic a little longer, hehehehe ^_^ Check out my Harry Potter fic, please! PLEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE!!!  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Eighteen  
  
As much as I love him, I can't.  
  
I really can't.  
  
Fujima had arrived in the hospital, a sober expression on his face. He was looking at nothing nowhere near his shoes, and he looked as if someone had died. He thought he was gonna lose Saemi. Again.  
  
He watched Rukawa sleeping peacefully on a chair, and then Saemi staring, her eyes narrowed, at Sendoh who had drool dribbling down his chin.  
  
*I wonder what she's thinking about?*  
  
Suddenly her sparkling emerald eyes turned to him, and in them he could see a smile. He smiled back, stood up and walked over to her bed.  
  
"When I thought I was going to die, I was thinking about them."  
  
Her gaze turned to Rukawa, and then to Sendoh. Fujima nodded, as if he knew what she was talking about. Her eyes silently brimmed with tears.  
  
"And I saw Yoshke."  
  
The tears began to spill now. Fujima wiped them away with his thumb, and was surprised when Saemi clasped it in both her hands.  
  
"I thought that Rukawa was the one for me. But at the end of the long, dark tunnel, you were the one who pulled me through. Your image was the one who helped me out. I'm so confused."  
  
Is it you, Kenji? Or you, Kaede?  
  
It's you.  
  
It was you.  
  
"Thank you, Kenji-kun."  
  
Rukawa opened his eyes and blinked. He knew he should be happy because Saemi was alive and well, but.  
  
His eyes narrowed as he stared at Fujima and Saemi looking into each others' eyes.  
  
Beside him, Sendoh yawned sleepily, let out something that sounded like a squeal, and bounced over to Saemi's bed in all his six foot glory. Fujima slammed into a wall because of the impact, but Sendoh apparently didn't care. He was too happy to see that his little sister was okay.  
  
"Oh, that's all right, Sendoh, this wall is made of cotton and slamming into it doesn't affect my bones in any way." Fujima said dryly. Saemi laughed.  
  
Rukawa felt his blood curl.  
  
After Maki's insistence that they leave Saemi and Fujima alone, Sendoh carried the sleeping Kaiyuki out the room and waited for Rukawa as Maki opened the door for them.  
  
The super-rookie was rooted to the spot.  
  
*I thought you loved me.* He thought lamely, looking into Saemi's eyes. Searching for the answer to unlock the miseries of his soul.  
  
She looked away and smiled at Fujima. "Bye, Kae-chan. Say hi to Haruko for me."  
  
He froze. Maybe that was it.  
  
*She still thought me and Haruko are. but we're not.*  
  
Not anymore.  
  
He opened his mouth, tried to tell her, but the words would not come out. Finally he just shrugged and stepped out of the room.  
  
I've lost her.  
  
Completely.  
  
"You're really giving up to that lover boy?" Sendoh sneered after he had sent Kaiyuki to her limousine and home. "Figures."  
  
Rukawa kept silent. Inside, he was fuming.  
  
He could never understand Saemi.  
  
"Tell me the truth."  
  
Saemi was now standing in front of Fujima, ready to leave the hospital.  
  
"What?" She asked, startled.  
  
"Do you love me, or Rukawa?"  
  
Saemi kept silent. In truth, she loved them both. Deeply.  
  
"I love you, and I love him."  
  
Fujima took a step closer to her. "Do you really love me?"  
  
*In what way?*  
  
"I do."  
  
He reached his hand to her. She took it.  
  
"But in what way?"  
  
He pulled Saemi closer to him, he could feel her warmth and softness, her frailty.  
  
"I would never lie to you." She whispered. He was so close, she could smell his after shave. Why was her heart beating so fast anyway?  
  
*Stop it* she scolded herself.  
  
He might want to break up, since he's acting so weird.  
  
"Please tell me." There was an anxiousness in his voice, an urgent plea. Saemi could see the desperation in his eyes.  
  
*Only one way to find out*  
  
"Kiss me."  
  
His brow furrowed. "What?"  
  
"Kiss me." Saemi said weakly, his mere presence overwhelming her. She had told herself over and over again that she could never fall in love. Now, she had.  
  
Twice.  
  
Fujima placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her softly, gently at first, and then it became fiercer, more passionate. Saemi felt her knees grow weak.  
  
*Oh my God. I never thought I would be able to do this*  
  
"I wonder what they're doing in there?" Sendoh asked, grinning.  
  
"Fujima will never do anything to her." Maki said.  
  
*I hope.*  
  
"I'll look" Rukawa grumbled.  
  
"Sure." Sendoh grinned even wider.  
  
Rukawa left them both and headed towards Saemi's room, and found her against the wall with Fujima trying to suck the life out of her.  
  
(or so it seemed to him.)  
  
*This is going to be a long day.* He sighed as he went back to Maki and Sendoh. 


	19. 19

Just Another Story  
  
Ramblings: Hey, thanks for everyone who reviewed!!! ^^  
  
Disclaimer.  
  
Nineteen  
  
"They're WHAT?!"  
  
Rukawa just shrugged and quelled the roaring flames of rage now enveloping him. Or tried to, at least. He muttered something to Sendoh about going home, grabbed his jacket and headed for the hospital's exit.  
  
*Why do we never realize what we have till it's gone?*  
  
"Good morning, Kaede. Where have been?"  
  
Mr. Rukawa smiled at his son and motioned for him to sit beside him. Rukawa sat down on the couch opposite his dad, thinking it was disgusting that his own father was acting this way, all lovey dovey and mushy. As if.  
  
Whatever it was that his dad was about to imply didn't waver and he stood up to sit next to his indignant son. He smiled wildly as he slapped Kaede's knee affectionately.  
  
"Kaede, I know how hard it is for you not to have a mother, and that.uh. woman who left us didn't really take care of us that much."  
  
His face screwed up for a moment and he looked blankly at Kaede. His son just shrugged.  
  
"Well, I have decided that I want to spend more time with you, and I want to give you a mother who will take care of you. I've decided to marry again."  
  
Kaede just shrugged once again.  
  
*What you do is none of my damn business, as long as you let me play basketball.*  
  
"Congratulations." He grunted, for a moment a brief vision of Saemi and Fujima twisted his face in jealousy. His knuckles clenched angrily.  
  
His father didn't seem to notice. "Oh, thank you, Kaede. You'll get to meet your new mother and brother the day after tomorrow." He said happily.  
  
Kaede just.shrugged.  
  
"You WHAT?!"  
  
Sendoh thought he was going to faint. His knees buckled and gave way, and he collapsed on the sofa. Maki rolled his eyes and Saemi grinned at him sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry, Oniichan."  
  
"Girl, make up your mind!" Sendoh threw his arms in the air, exasperated. Maki, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, nodded in agreement.  
  
"Fujima Kenji."  
  
Saemi said, smiling. "I hate Rukawa." Her emerald eyes flamed. "He's a good- for-nothing heart breaker and I haaaaaaaaate him."  
  
"You didn't bonk your head on a wall or something did you?" Maki asked, concerned. Saemi shook her head no.  
  
"Well. That's fine, actually. Fuj can take better care of you." Sendoh stretched, then yawned. "Well, I'm going to sleep for a while." Saemi nodded and kissed him on the forehead. He grinned back and yawned sleepily.  
  
"Night."  
  
"Night."  
  
Saemi was starting up the stairs when Maki caught her arm. "We need to talk." He whispered. She nodded.  
  
He brought her to the study, then sat down on the large oak desk. Saemi sat beside him.  
  
"I don't want you to get hurt, Saem." He started, but she silenced him. "I know what I'm doing. If I don't love him, I'll learn how to. But I am not going back to Rukawa. Never."  
  
Maki smiled encouragingly and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Just remember that I'm here for you, and I always will be."  
  
Saemi leaned on his shoulder and looked up at him. Her best friend, her brother. They smiled at each other. "Thanks." Saemi whispered.  
  
"You're welcome." Maki whispered back.  
  
Fujima unlocked the front door and entered his house happily. His mother was waiting quietly for him, like she always did.  
  
"Hi mom."  
  
Hi, Kenji. How are you?"  
  
The boy smiled. "I'm fine. Just hungry."  
  
His mother gestured at the snacks on the table and Fujima sat down, still smiling. His mother sat down next to him.  
  
"Kenji, I.I want to tell you something."  
  
"Uh huh." Came the muffled reply as her son chewed.  
  
"I'm...I'm going to get married."  
  
"Ohayou gozaimasu!!!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Mitsui screamed, shielding himself from the *thing* attacking him. He brought his pillow to his face, then peeped to look at.at.  
  
"NEKO!!"  
  
The red haired girl smiled at him. "I broke my ankle, and I need you to carry me to the infirmary." She announced, as if this were something which happened everyday. Mitsui stared at her disbelievingly with a raised brow. "Uh.huh."  
  
From somewhere behind her stood a harassed Kaiyuki, carrying a battered hand bag. "Please, Mitsui, I had to drag her somewhere and your dorm was nearest. She jumped through the fence and her leg caught."  
  
Saemi smiled sheepishly.  
  
Mitsui's eyes narrowed. "Fine." He carried Saemi on his back and he felt her flinch. "Does it hurt?" He asked, suddenly concerned. He could feel blood dripping on his hand. He frowned. Were they sure this was just a broken ankle? Her whole leg might fall off and they might blame it on him.  
  
"No." But tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.  
  
Mitsui shook his head and carried her out of his room.  
  
Fujima stared as Mitsui entered the courts with Saemi, who was wailing. Wailing? More like screaming her head off. He watched Mitsui scuttle across the large gym, towards the infirmary. Dropping the ball he was holding, he followed the trio. 


	20. 20

5 years since the birth of this fic, I've decided to continue it

5 years since the birth of this fic, I've decided to continue it. Haha! It's almost finished, 5 more chapters to go. Then I'm probably going to write a prequel or finish my other unfinished Harry Potter fic ;p

Oh my God it took me so freakin long to find out how to upload again! Hahahah! Silly me!! 

Chapter 20

Disclaimer – Slam Dunk ain't mine.

"Saemi? Are you okay?" 

Fujima's concerned face flashed in front of Saemi's eyes and she looked at him groggily. "Where am I? Am I in heaven?" She mumbled, placing her hand on her head.

"No, darling, you're still alive. Thank God!" Kaiyuki exclaimed. "The doctors put you on medication while they stitched your leg, that's all."

"Stitched my leg!?" Saemi said dubiously. "Why'd they stitch my leg?"

"Uhhhh…." Mitsui stuttered. Obviously Saemi couldn't feel a thing because of the medication. "Over there." He said, pointing to Saemi's leg. An angry red gash was clearly visible on it. 

"Holy cow!" Saemi said. "What in the world is THAT?"

"Kaiyuki said that you were trying to jump over a fence and your leg got caught. Why in the world would ANYONE want to jump over a fence with barbed wire on it?!" Fujima cried. "You could have killed yourself!"

Saemi looked at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I thought I could do it. Don't worry, I'll take better care of myself next time."

Fujima sighed. "It's okay. I'll stay with you today until you get better. Let's go home."

Saemi smiled at him. "Okay." She said.

* * *

Fujima carried her on his back all the way to his car and placed Saemi carefully in the back seat. 

"You worried me back there." He told her. Saemi just smiled at him.

They drove back home to Saemi's house in silence. She was thinking about the one person she shouldn't be thinking about while she was with her boyfriend. She tried to push the thought away from her mind, but the more she tried, the quicker he kept popping back up into her brain. It was driving her crazy.

"My mom's getting married to Rukawa's dad this weekend." Fujima said, piercing into her thoughts. Saemi was startled when he heard his name.

"What? You're going to be brothers?" She said in awe.

"Step-brothers." Fujima corrected. "Nevertheless, he and I are going to live in the same house."

'Wish he and I could live in the same house' Saemi thought, but mentally punished herself at the thought. 'You are bad, Saemi. You are Kenji's girlfriend, not---'

"Do you want to stop over somewhere to get something to eat?" Fujima asked, smiling at her through the mirror.

"Okay!" Saemi said happily. "McDonald's please!"

Fujima laughed and indulged her to everything that she wanted. Which was enough food to feed two starving basketball players after practice. Saemi was glowing happily at the sight of so much food, though, so he thought it was worth it.

* * *

A few minutes later, they arrived at the Sendoh residence. Maki and Sendoh were sitting on the curb outside, eating ice cream. They stood up to greet the pair and ended up lugging Saemi's order into the house.

"Honestly Saemi, you eat like a horse and a half." Sendoh said, eyeing the plastic bags. "And what happened to your leg?!"

"Long story." Saemi said, her mouth full of burger and fries.

"Fuj, how can you date a garbage dispenser, man?" Sendoh asked, laughing as Saemi stared at him with daggers in her eyes.

"If I weren't injured I would be kicking you violently in your sorry butt." Saemi said, frowning. "I'm sick. I need food to recuperate."

"You just have a gash on your leg. You don't have cancer!" Sendoh said, and Saemi chose to ignore him and concentrate on her ice cream.

"I'll stay here until Saemi feels better." Fujima said, sitting on the couch.

"She sure doesn't look like she's sick." Sendoh said. "She looks like she's already geared up for an all-you-can-eat marathon!"

Maki laughed. "Aw, c'mon. Don't be so hard on your sister." He said, grabbing a few fries from Saemi's stash.

* * *

After Saemi finished eating, she declared herself sleepy and requested to be brought up to her room. After bopping Sendoh on the head for saying, "The polar bear is on her way to hibernation!", she was carried off to bed by Fujima. 

"Kenji-kun." She said sleepily. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You don't have to thank me for something that I want to do." He replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Saemi guiltily pictured Rukawa doing that to her in her mind, and waved the thought away. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was Rukawa taking care of her, being so concerned about her. 

"I love you, Saemi." Fujima whispered, and she felt his lips caress her cheek gently.

Saemi pretended that she was already asleep so that she wouldn't have to reply, and with a heavy heart wished that those lips belonged to someone else.

She fell asleep thinking about him, that dark-haired boy who never smiled, except for her.

* * *

Saemi woke up feeling horribly guilty about her feelings the night before. She didn't know why she kept thinking about that damned man who kept breaking her heart but kept popping into her mind anyway.

"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Sendoh yelled, practically bouncing into her room. "How is my favorite little polar bear?" He asked, beaming at her.

"I'm okay." She said, staring at her ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Sendoh asked immediately, sitting beside her on her bed. "Did you and Fuji have a fight? Do you want me to take out my voodoo doll and prick his useless little---"

"No, Fujima is the best boyfriend in the world." Saemi said monotonously. "It's me that's the problem."

"What's wrong?" Sendoh asked again, concerned. "Is it him? The super-rookie?"

Something told Sendoh from Saemi's silence that he was right.


	21. 21

Chapter 21

Disclaimer – Slam Dunk ain't mine!

"You look gorgeous, Saemi-chan!" Kaiyuki clapped her hands happily at the white strappy dress that Saemi was wearing. Saemi rolled her eyes in reply.

"I feel like a stuffed eggplant in this. Can't I wear something more comfortable? Please?" She asked, tugging at the dress.

"Nonsense! Don't you want to see Kenji-kun's eyes pop out of his head? Don't you want him to be proud of you?"

Saemi's stomach churned uncomfortably. The only person she wanted to look at her that way was…

"Hey, are you girls already making out in there? You've been holed up in that room for over an hour!" Sendoh's irritated voice sounded muffled from outside Kaiyuki's room.

"We're coming, Oniichan!" Saemi said, grabbing a jacket from Kaiyuki's closet. Kaiyuki pulled it away. "Aww, c'mon, Saemi. Flaunt your stuff!" She said, throwing the jacket back into her closet. Saemi sighed in surrender.

"Let's go." Sendoh said, leading the girls to the car where Maki was already waiting.

"Took you girls long enough." Maki said, looking at his watch. "Any longer than that and I could have hatched an egg."

"Is Fujima nervous about his mom getting married to Rukawa's dad?" Kaiyuki asked Saemi, completely ignoring Maki's comment.

"Well…we hadn't really had the chance to talk about it…" Saemi said.

"Maybe they'd get to share underwear and form a bond of friendship." Sendoh piped in. Maki gave him a warning look. "Sendoh, please do not pollute the minds of the young and the innocent."

"It's not like you and I haven't shared underwear with each other, Maki." Sendoh said, wagging his eyebrows at him.

"You are a disgusting freak!" Maki exclaimed. "I will never share underwear with you, even if you paid me!"

Kaiyuki was staring at the two men with wide eyes. "So, is it true? For the record."

"No!" Maki said. "He's just kidding around."

"Yeah." Sendoh said. "But I wouldn't say the same about Saemi's underwear."

"Ewwww!" Saemi cried. "Stay away from my closet!"

"Just kidding, sis." Sendoh said, laughing. "Look, we're almost here."

The party was in Rukawa's mansion. The theme was garden party and there were lots of colorful flowers adorning the place. It looked beautiful.

They arrived in the house and Maki parked the car in the driveway. Fujima came to greet them.

"Hey, Saemi. You look so pretty today." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Saemi gave him a small smile.

"Why don't you all go in and I'll get you some refreshments?" He said, leading them to the garden. After he got them all some drinks, he threw Saemi an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry I can't stay with you the whole time, I'm in charge of seating the guests."

"It's okay." Saemi said. But what she was really thinking was, 'I wonder where Kae-chan is?'

As if on cue, he arrived on the doorstep wearing a basketball jersey and shorts, sweat dribbling off his body. Saemi's heart skipped a beat, but she tried not to look. Rukawa entered the house, probably to shower and change into his party clothes.

Sendoh could read Saemi's reactions even if she didn't say a word. He reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. 'Why do you try to hide what you really feel, Saemi?' He thought. 'If you love him, tell him. Fujima will understand.'

She just smiled at him and squeezed his hand back.

* * *

The moment she saw him, she knew. Something was wrong with him. His cheeks were flushed, and his tie was gone. So was his jacket. He was staggering as he walked, but his eyes were focused on her. She was terrified as he strode over to her and pinned her against the wall. She tried struggling, but of course she was no match for him.

"You're drunk." She said quietly, looking away.

She felt his breath on her neck, and a wave of fear washed over her. 'What is he going to do to me?' She thought.

"Let me go." She said softly, trying to push him away. Her eyes scoured the crowd, looking for Fujima. He was nowhere to be found, probably entertaining the guests. She didn't want to make a fuss and make a fool out of Rukawa, but she was scared of what he might do to her if she didn't do anything. Her brain froze and she felt herself unable to move. His grip on her wrist tightened and she knew he could see the fear in her eyes.

"Kae-chan, I—" The words died on her lips as Rukawa kissed her softly. He withdrew for a second so that he could look at her face. A wave of emotions crashed through Saemi and it made her extremely uncomfortable to be in her position.

She didn't like seeing Rukawa drunk. She didn't like the fact that he had her pinned against the wall, scaring the hell out of her. She didn't like the fact that she wanted his kiss. She didn't like the fact that she still had feelings for him, even though he had hurt her so many times before.

"Kiss me and then tell me that you're in love with Fujima." Rukawa growled, pressing closer to her. Saemi pushed against him with all her might, to no avail.

"Stop it, Kae-chan." She was trembling, and she was trying hard not to cry. Rukawa hesitated at the desperation in her eyes, but he knew that this was something that he wanted settled once and for all. He was tired of doubting if Saemi was still in love with him or not. He wanted to know, and he wanted to know now.

"I'm going to kiss you, and then you tell me how much you love Fujima when I'm done."

Suddenly, his lips were on hers, and he was kissing her with fiery passion. Saemi felt herself giving up to him, a whirlwind of memories and emotions fluttered in her chest and she remembered everything in a rush. How she had lied to him that she didn't love him, how she had tried to forget him through Fujima, how afraid she was to get hurt again…

He kissed her harder and harder, as if trying to erase the trace of Fujima's lips on hers, wanting to reclaim her, keep her to himself, make her love him again. Saemi's futile attempt to push him away told him that she still felt something for him. He stopped to look at her once more.

"Now tell me that you love Fujima, Saemi. Look into my eyes and tell me that you don't have any feelings for me."

"Kae-chan, I…"

"That's not what I want to hear. Tell me now. Tell me so that I know if I'm supposed to forget about you. Tell me that you no longer want me to love you."

Saemi had never heard Rukawa say so many things in his life. It was probably because he was drunk. She wished she could melt into the floor and die, because she knew that she still loved him and that she wanted to be with him. But at the same time, she didn't want him to hurt her anymore. She didn't want to hurt Fujima, who was so good to her. She didn't know what to do. Tears filled her eyes as Rukawa tightened his grip on her wrist once more.

"What are you doing?"

Saemi saw Rukawa turn to see Fujima glowering at him. Rukawa released her wrist and Saemi felt herself drop to the floor.

"I said, what are you doing?" Fujima hissed, shooting daggers at Rukawa. Rukawa glowered back. If looks could kill, they would both be dead by now.

"I'm only asking Saemi if she still loves me." Rukawa said, his eyes never leaving Fujima's. "And from the feel of her kiss, I think she still does."

It was probably because Rukawa was drunk and slow, because Fujima was easily able to punch him in the face.

"How dare you take advantage of Saemi!" He growled, as Rukawa steadied himself. They were about to get into a bigger fight when Sendoh and Maki arrived to break them both apart. Rukawa glared at Fujima.

"Doaho." He said, before passing out in his drunkenness. Sendoh looked at Saemi. "Are you okay?" He asked, pulling her up from the floor. "I'm…okay…" Saemi managed to say, still struggling to get her composure. "I have to talk to Kenji." She said, her eyes on the floor.

Fujima's face was unreadable, but he followed her outside and sat beside her on one of the swings.

"Are you cold?" He asked, removing his jacket and putting it around her shoulders. She looked up at him gratefully.

"Kenji, I don't know how to say this. You've been so good to me. You always take care of me and I know that you love me with all your heart. But I just don't feel the same way…" Saemi trailed off when she saw Fujima's eyes fill with tears.

"Saemi, I've loved you for the longest time. I tried so hard to make you fall in love with me, but I guess you can't really choose who you fall in love with." He said, smiling at her amidst his tears. "I know that you will never be completely happy with me because you're in love with someone else. And all I want is for you to be happy, even if it's not with me."

Saemi walked over to him and held his hand. "Kenji, I am so sorry." She whispered, tears falling freely from her eyes as well. "I'm so sorry that I was unfair to you. That I chose you because I knew that you wouldn't be able to hurt me. I regret causing you so much sadness and pain."

Fujima just looked at her and smiled. "No, Saemi. Don't be sorry. I was glad to have been your boyfriend, even if only for a while. I know that I'm not Rukawa, and I tried so hard to be like him so you could love me. But I know now that I can never take his place. Your mind may tell you that I'm the one you love, but your heart will never be happy with just me."

He took her hands into his and looked into her eyes. "Saemi, I will always be here to love you no matter what. I don't have to be your boyfriend to do that. I just want you to be happy."

Saemi looked at Fujima and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Kenji. Thank you for understanding."

Fujima hugged her tight, knowing full well that this was probably the last time he would get to have her in his arms.

* * *

Drop me a line and tell me what you think. Review, pm, or email is fine. I hope to hear from you soon = )


	22. 22

Chapter 22

Disclaimer – Slam Dunk ain't mine.

Rukawa woke up to a throbbing headache and wished that he had never consented to drinking so much alcohol at the party last night. He wanted to go out and play basketball but he thought that it was probably not a good idea. Still, he forced himself to stand up, take a shower, dress up and trudge groggily to his bicycle.

He heard voices at the basketball court and was irritated that there was someone who had gotten there ahead of him. He could hear the thumping sound of the basketball and the carefree laughter that elicited from the players. He peered from the bushes as he parked his bicycle and found out that it was Sendoh and Maki.

"If I shoot this ball, you have to call me 'Master.'" Sendoh said, dribbling the ball between his legs.

"In your dreams, MISter." Maki countered, stealing the ball easily from him. He aimed it and put it in the basket cleanly.

"Hey Saemi, you want to eat out after we play?" Sendoh asked gently, going over to the bench where his sister sat doing her homework.

"No thanks, Oniichan." She said. She didn't even look up from her notebook.

"Aww, c'mon Saemi. You've never said no to food before. I'll treat you." Sendoh said, sitting down beside her. Maki followed suit.

"Are you still depressed because you broke up with Fujima?" Maki asked. He placed the basketball on the floor between his feet.

Rukawa's ears twitched when he heard the news.

"No…I wanted to break up with him." Saemi said. Sendoh peeked over her shoulder and found out that she was drawing something. Or rather, someone.

"Ah, you still like him a lot, don't you?" Sendoh said softly. He wrapped his arms around his sister and she hugged him back, leaving the notebook on the bench. "C'mon. I don't like seeing you so sad. Smile a little." He told her.

"Well…" Saemi looked at him and sighed. "Maybe in a few more weeks, Oniichan. I can't seem to get rid of this heavy feeling in my heart."

"Hey there kids! I've come to fetch you." Mrs. Sendoh called from the car. "I thought we could all go out to dinner together. You can come too, Maki."

"Okay, mom." Sendoh called back, tugging at his sister's hand. They all scrambled into Mrs. Sendoh's car in a hurry. They knew what she was like when she was kept waiting.

Rukawa watched the car drive away and walked up to the bench where Saemi's notebook was left behind. It was open to the page where she was drawing. It was a cartoon drawing of a man with beady little eyes and a little thought bubble that read, 'Doaho.'. He closed the notebook and put it in his pocket. It didn't take a genius to know who the cartoon was, even if the sketch resembled that of a grade school student's. He knew what he had to do, this time.

* * *

It was almost 10pm when Saemi and Sendoh got home. Sendoh was the first to arrive on the doorstep and almost tripped over a figure sitting on the steps.

"What the…Rukawa? Is that you?" Sendoh asked, squinting at him in the dark.

"Kae-chan?" Saemi timidly moved away from the super-rookie sitting on her doorstep.

"Saemi." Rukawa said simply. "Can we talk?"

Saemi looked at her brother.

"Well, okay. But just stay here." Sendoh said. Rukawa said 'Hi' to Mrs. Sendoh before she and Sendoh entered the house.

Saemi was frozen to the spot she was standing on.

"Saemi…." Rukawa said. He pulled her to him and she sat beside him gingerly. He was looking into her eyes, trying to read what she was thinking. There was fear in them, but he thought that he could also see hope.

He wasn't about to let her down.

"Saemi, I made a mistake. I'm sorry." He began. Then, he shook his head. "No, not just a mistake. Mistakes."

Saemi didn't take her eyes off him. "Kae-chan…" She started. Rukawa suddenly held her to his chest. "Saemi, I love you. Please forgive me."

It was more than enough for her. There were no fancy stuff, no romantic gifts given. Just plain sincerity. She felt that he was sorry and she felt that he would try to trust her more. That he wouldn't hurt her again.

"Kae-chan, please don't hurt me." She whispered as he stroked her hair.

"Saemi, I won't." He whispered back. Never again.

He just held her tight, both of them not saying a word, until Sendoh opened the front door and told them that it was time for Saemi to go to bed.

Saemi didn't want to let go, but Rukawa held her hands and promised her that he'd be back the next day so they could continue talking.

That night, Saemi slept better than she had in days.

A few blocks away, the same could be said for Rukawa, who even fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

Sendoh woke up to find his little sister hugging him on his bed. He poked her with his finger, laughing.

"What are you doing, ne? Imagining I'm Rukawa?"

"Mmmmhhh…" Saemi mumbled, a small smile on her lips. Sendoh was relieved that Rukawa actually had the guts to say he was sorry. He would never have done that to any girl.

Well, maybe if she were as special as Saemi, he'd at least think about it.

He pried his sister off his body and stood up for his early morning stretch. Saemi buried herself in his covers and went back to sleep. He smiled because he was happy at the way things turned out. As long as his little sister was happy, he was okay with that.

He decided to go fix his sister breakfast. All those endorphins she would be releasing would want to be fed.

* * *

Rukawa woke up feeling refreshed and raring to shoot some hoops. He dressed quickly and grabbed his basketball from under his bed and headed down to his bicycle. He saw Fujima was already awake and a new basketball court was set up near the garage they didn't use.

"Like it?" Fujima asked, looking satisfied with his work. Rukawa just looked blankly at him.

"I figured that since we both play basketball, we could just set up a court here. It will save you the trip all the way to the public court."

Rukawa didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say anyway.

"Listen, Rukawa. About last night." Fujima said. Rukawa continued to look blankly at him. "I know that you made up with her. Maki told me about it."

So he knew.

"I'm okay with it." Fujima continued. "Saemi and I already had a talk about it. We broke up because she was still in love with you."

Rukawa nearly dropped the ball he was holding but thankfully, his grip didn't slip.

"Anyway, I hope you take good care of her. You're one lucky guy." Fujima said, smiling. "Since we're step-brothers and all, I figured it wouldn't be nice to be fighting over a girl. Besides, you're her first anyway."

Fujima stepped forward until he was just a foot away from Rukawa. "Truce?" Fujima asked, holding out his hand. Rukawa shook it firmly and the two started to play basketball in their new home court.

* * *


End file.
